She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
by Karen LaManna
Summary: What happens when Sam puts his insidious plan into effect, to turn Penelope against her Hot Stuff? Sam plans to marry her and whisk her away from her family. Will her beloved BAU family and Derek be able to stop him before it is too late? Things happen that may prove Sam may get away with it. Curious yet? Come and check it out! Many twists and turns, as well as some surprises!
1. Chapter 1

**She Loves Me…, She Loves Me Not…**

 **A/N: I'm Baccckkkkk! Sorry, I haven't posted in a while. I have been diligently working on this new story. It is going to be an emotional angsty multi-chapter story. I hope you enjoy my newest endeavor. I still have plenty of ideas for even more stories to come.**

 **Thank you, to all my steadfast fans that I have had from day one. And, more thanks to all my new fans that I picked up after posting my last story. Thank you to everyone that read, reviewed and enjoyed "Dreams Really Do Come True!"**

 **I really appreciate all of you and your wonderful support. You guys mean the world to me and are the reason I keep writing. Now, without any further ado, onnnnn with the showwwww!**

After an extremely hard and emotional case the team needed some down time so they could recharge. This case was particularly horrendous, before this unsub was caught he managed to kidnap, rape and kill thirteen innocent children. The cases involving children were always the worst, but this was way over the top. It was always heartbreaking and the team always took them bad, especially Derek because of his past. This one was no different, Derek was angry, he blamed himself for not being able to stop the unsub before all those children suffered and died.

Penelope was at BAU headquarters awaiting the return of her family of superheroes. She had briefly spoken with her Hot Stuff and knew he was in an extremely bad place emotionally and psychologically. She decided that her best friend was in desperate need of some of her style of TLC and will need to talk it out when he is ready. She planned one of their famous movie nights and pig out sessions. She already had the necessary supplies at home. She was armed with beer, soda, twizzlers, popcorn, ice cream and would be ordering their usual pizzas.

The elevator doors opened and the team one-by-one stepped off looking like they had been through a war. They all gave her a weak smile and a quick hug. Derek was of course the last one to step off and looked like hell. He couldn't even muster a fake smile. She immediately made a beeline for her Noir Hero and drew him in for a huge bear hug which he readily accepted. They pulled back from each other and she quickly noticed the devastation in his eyes.

She smiled at him and brushed her fingers down his cheek. "Hiya Handsome! How ya holding up?"

He tried to plaster on a fake smile, but failed miserably and leaned in and tenderly kissed her forehead. "I'm okay, Mama Bear!"

"Who are you trying to fool? Yourself or me? Cause you can't fool this oracle of all knowing!"

Derek chuckled and cupped her face in one hand. "I never could fool you, huh Baby Girl?"

Penelope grinned and giggled. "Never in a million years, my love! Never in a million years! So, are we still on for our movie night my sexy Chocolate Drop?"

Derek shook his head with amusement. "You betcha, Beautiful! Savannah is on call tonight. Is this okay with Sam? I don't want you to get into any trouble."

"Sam is just fine with this, I explained to him that my best friend needs company tonight along with a pizza and a movie extravaganza."

Derek flung his arm over his girl's shoulder and they headed towards Penelope's lair. "I have to finish my paperwork, I should be ready in about an hour. Will that work for you Mama?"

"Perfect handsome, perfect! I shall be ready, willing and able, kind sir."

They made it to her office, he opened her door and they exchanged hugs. He gave her a wink as he headed into his office.

An hour later they walked out of the BAU hand in hand. They made the best of their movie night as they only got to enjoy them once in a blue moon, now. They knew that it bothered their significant others if they spent too much time together.

Their time together went reasonably well. Derek finally relaxed enough, it took a while, but he broke down and let out his grief, sorrow and anger. His solace was always there for him in his darkest hours. After their emotional roller coaster evening, Derek had fallen asleep in the arms of his Goddess. He had a rough time sleeping because of a few severe nightmares about his past. She stayed up with him and rocked him back to sleep in her loving arms.

The next morning came far too quickly for Derek and Penelope. They both didn't get too much sleep. He had been fighting off his demons all night and his favorite girl was right by his side through it all. Savannah and Sam could never understand the total realm or true spectrum of their relationship. Derek and Penelope were the only ones that truly understood each other and the ramifications of their jobs. They trusted no one like they trusted each other. They also didn't want to admit their true feelings for one another, because they were each afraid they would lose what they had together now.

When Savannah arrived home early that morning she was quite annoyed. She decided to let herself into Derek's house and her boyfriend was nowhere to be found and his bed had not been slept in. She stomped out his place, slammed the door and marched across the street to her own place. She had no doubts where her wayward boyfriend was. He was at that pathetic, fat, geeky nerd of a best friend's place. She huffed through her door and slammed it shut and went to sulk.

Sam on the other hand decided he would take a drive by Penelope's apartment on his way to work. Much to his chagrin, he ended up spotting his nemesis' SUV parked right outside her building. He slammed his fists onto the steering wheel and let out a primal scream. He was totally pissed and wanted to beat the crap out of Derek. He took some deep breaths and tried to calm himself down. He knew that he would never to be able to defeat Derek, besides that would end up pushing Penelope right into her "Hot Stuff's" arms. He hated that they spent so much time together and was completely jealous of their relationship. He also hated all the pet names and that she would drop everything at a moment's notice to go running to him. Well, no more! He was going to have to outsmart them both and drive her away from Derek. He sped away as he tried to come up with a plan to have her all to himself, no matter what.

Two weeks passed by and Sam had finally put his insidious plan into effect. He waited patiently for the team to be called out of town on another case. He wanted time to start his plan without her muscle-bound bloodhound hero around to sniff out the changes too quickly.

The first step was complete, after much cajoling he convinced Penelope that they both needed to start taking daily vitamins. Of course, he never took any and hers were laced with a drug that would make her very susceptible to the suggestions and orders that he delivered to her subliminally while she slept.

Step two was going to be put into place tonight, while they were having dinner at her place. She needed to stay close to her computers in case the team required her expertise regarding their case. He didn't have a choice, but to wait an extra week to start hypnotizing her to reinforce his subliminal changes.

Sam met Penelope at her apartment and surprised her with her favorite Chinese food and plenty of fortune cookies. He also brought along a nice red wine to get her to relax and hopefully make her more susceptible to being hypnotized.

They were sitting on the couch eating, drinking and watching one of Penelope's favorite old movies. He took her glass and placed it on table and stared into her eyes and began to hypnotize her. Once she was under, he chuckled and grinned.

"Wow, I did it! I can't believe it! Pen can you hear me?"

"Yes, Sam I can hear you. How can I help you?"

"I order you to not have anything to do with Derek Morgan anymore."

"I, I, I can't do that!"

Sam tensed up. "Why not Pen?"

Penelope smiled. "Because I work with him and I love him with all my heart!"

Sam became furious, brought his hands into fists and wanted to scream instead he snarled out. "You may have to work with him for now, but you don't love him anymore! You hear me you don't love him anymore. He is in the way of our happiness. There will be no more movie nights, no more pet names and no spending any more time off with Derek. Is that understood?"

A tear ran down Penelope's cheek. "I don't understand, Sam. He is my best friend. I love him. He would never hurt me."

Sam tried to keep his cool. This was not supposed to be this hard. "Penelope, he does not love you, like I do! He loves Savannah and always will. I am telling you for the last time you don't love Derek you love me. You never loved him and will never remember that you had any feelings for him. You remember what I said, no more movie nights, pet names or hanging out with Derek anymore! These are my orders and they will be followed. If you don't stay away from him I will kill him, understood?"

Penelope flinched as she let more tears slide down her face. "Yes, Sam I understand. No more Derek!"

"At work, it will be Agent Morgan or Morgan. Do you understand that?"

Penelope stared blankly ahead. "Yes, Sam I understand only Agent Morgan or Morgan at work."

Sam grinned evilly and maliciously laughed. "Good girl, Pen! Good girl. Now, I will count backwards from five and when I reach one you will awake and you will have no memory of this. However, you will remember my orders and will follow them without question. Five, four, three, two and one."

Penelope blinked her eyes and became aware again. Sam leaned over and kissed her lips and she responded in kind. "I love you, Pen!"

"I love you too, Sam! You wanna finish the movie?"

Sam grinned totally pleased with himself. "I would love to! How about some more popcorn and wine?"

As he stood up and headed to the kitchen she spoke up. "Popcorn sounds great, but just some soda for me. Bossman, may still call me."

"I understand, soda it is."

He entered the kitchen whistling to himself and grinning widely. He knew he had her right where he wanted her. Soon he would have everything he wanted. He needed to be patient a bit longer and play things just right. He grabbed more popcorn, wine for himself and soda for his lady love.

He headed back into her living room and sat back down. He handed her the soda she requested and placed the popcorn down on the table. They got comfortable and started to watch the movie again.

About twenty minutes later, her cell phone rang. It was Derek and he needed her to run a check on one of their suspects. Here was her first test, Sam eagerly waited and listened.

"Hey Baby Girl, tell me something good!'

"Hiya, Han-, I mean Agent Morgan. What can I help you with?"

Sam was inwardly jumping up and down with joy as he listened to her. He knew that Morgan would be completely confused and keep on trying to reach out to her. He figured, as long as, she kept taking her "vitamins", and he could continue to control her, everything would be fine.

Meantime, Derek scrunched his expressive eyebrows in confusion and frowned. His goddess never called him Agent Morgan, unless she is completely angry with him and he knew that he hadn't done anything recently to make her mad.

"Mama, is everything alright? Did I do something to make you mad?"

"No of course not! Everything is fine, honest. Now, what can I do for you?"

Derek was still not completely convinced. "Okay baby, I need you to get an exact location on John Ivers, we are pretty sure he is our unsub."

Penelope's fingers flew across her keyboard while she tried to locate the unsub. Suddenly her computer pinged, "Gotcha, you can't hide from the oracle. Got him, he as 238 Ridgemont Lane."

Derek chuckled. "Thank you, Sweetness. You are still and will always be the best! We will keep you advised."

"You are welcome and be safe Agent Morgan."

He hung up his phone and stared at it incredulously. He shook his head and decided business first and when he got home he would talk to his girl and figure out what was wrong. He headed to the SUV's with the rest of the team, armed with the address Penelope gave him in hopes of bringing in their potential unsub safely and quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Intrigued yet? I hope everyone is enjoying the story thus far. Thanks for all the support! I hope you all had a pleasant Father's Day! Onnn with the showwwww!**

The next morning after their unsub was caught, the team was safe and on the jet heading home. On the ride home, Derek approached both JJ and Emily to pump them for information about his goddess. They didn't have a clue, nothing was said to them about her being upset with him. Both were perplexed and caught off guard. They both volunteered to talk to Penelope when they got back. He was relieved, thanked them and headed to his seat and placed his headphones on and relaxed for the remainder of the flight.

When they arrived back at the BAU late that afternoon, she was not at her usual place at the elevator waiting for them. He exited the elevator and made a beeline straight to her lair. He knocked on the door and waited for her to answer.

"Enter at your own risk, Mere Mortal!"

Derek grinned and chuckled as he entered her office. "Alright Missy, we need to talk! What in the hell is going on? What did I do wrong now?"

Penelope spun around in her chair and stared at him. "Well hello to you too, Agent Morgan. I have no idea what you are talking about. I am not mad about anything."

Derek was getting frustrated, unnerved and anxious. "Baby Girl, since when do you call me Agent Morgan? You only use that when you are pissed at me! Please tell me what I did wrong and I will fix it, I promise Mama!"

Penelope looked confused and crinkled her nose. "I really don't know what you are talking about. I swear I am not mad Morgan! I just think it's about time we act more professional at work. I don't think we should carry on like before. After all, I am with Sam and you have Savannah. It will be better if we just keep it business from now on, okay?"

Derek was now completely in shock and felt like he had just been punched in the gut. This couldn't be happening, not with his Princess, his solace, his safe-haven. He loved her so much and didn't understand any of this. Everything was fine when they left for the case. Something had to have happened, and if it took forever, he would not stop until he got to the bottom of this. He would not and could not give up on his best friend and the love of his life. He couldn't lose her, not now, not ever. He also promised himself that when he figured it all out that he would finally be honest with her about his feelings. NO MATTER WHAT!

Derek's body trembled, his voice shook as he spoke and a few tears filled his eyes. "Seriously Mama, business? What are you talking about? You are my best friend I trust you more than anyone else in this crazy, dark world. Are you saying you don't love or trust me anymore? I would never do anything to hurt you! I love you, Baby Girl!"

Penelope stood there staring at him blankly and spoke without any emotion or inflection in her voice. It was like she was robotic and repeating a mantra. "I told you Agent Morgan we need to be completely professional. Please, no more of those names you call me it's not appropriate. I still trust you, you are the best agent I know. I am with Sam now, it's not fair to him. Just go home to Savannah and enjoy your lives. I will see you at work and that's it for us. I am glad you all got home safely. Now, if you will excuse I must get ready to go home. Sam is taking me out to dinner."

Derek stood there with his mouth wide open in shock and terror while his heart was shattering into a million pieces. He couldn't believe his ears, his goddess, the woman who owned his heart just dismissed herself from his life. He was heartbroken and for the first time in his adult life he didn't have a clue what to do. He felt utterly lost and alone.

He felt the tears rolling down his face, but still he inched closer to her and lifted his hand to caress her beautiful face.

Penelope abruptly pulled away from him and his touch. "What are you doing? Please don't touch me, Agent Morgan! You have no right, you have to leave right now!"

Derek barely rasped out. "Please don't do this, Baby Girl! I love you with everything in me! Don't push me away, you are my best friend and my Goddess!"

Penelope stared at him, but seem to look right through him and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not doing anything wrong. We are just co-workers and nothing more from now on. It's cool, you will find someone else to hang with. You will have plenty of time for Savannah now, she will be thrilled. Since you won't leave then I will. Goodnight, Agent Morgan."

At that, she turned around, shut her babies off, grabbed her belongings and walked out the door without even a glance back.

Derek collapsed onto the edge of her desk and put his face into his hands. He sat there as he shook his head in total disbelief, broken-hearted, lost and in utter confusion. _What in the hell what just happened?_ He thought to himself. He just lost his best friend and the sole owner of his heart all in one fell swoop.

A few minutes passed when both JJ and Emily came running into the room. Derek slowly lifted his head to look at them and they immediately saw how devastated he looked.

JJ quickly spoke up first. "We saw Garcie leave a few minutes ago and she didn't say a word to us. What the hell happened between the two of you?"

He started to tremble again and quietly said. "I wish I knew. I just lost my best friend and my Baby Girl. She just walked out of my life."

JJ rushed over to him and pulled him into a hug and began to rock him back and forth as the tears flowed down his cheeks.

Emily looked over at her broken-hearted friend. "What did she say? Tell us what happened."

Both girls waited until Derek pulled himself together. He finally calmed himself down and took a few deep breaths before he explained what happened with his lady love. He told them everything, including the fact, that she appeared unemotional and robotic-like in what she said and did.

All throughout his explanation and when he finished they sat there in total disbelief and confusion, as well. Their hearts broke for their friend and _brother_. They had no clue why Penelope would have done such a thing. They knew that this was something that they thought would never happen.

JJ squeaked out. "That doesn't sound like something Garcie would say or do, ever! Something is definitely not right with her! What could have happened to drive her to do something like this? We will sit her down tomorrow and try to talk some sense into her. I am sorry she hurt you, bro!"

Derek just stared at the floor and nodded his head. "I know guys and thank you. I just feel so lost and all alone."

Emily rolled her chair closer to where he was sitting. "You don't have to thank us, we love you and you are not alone. We haven't done anything yet and it may not work. But, we all will be here for you though, promise! Hey, look at me?"

It took him a minute to slowly bring up his head and looked at both girls with defeat in both his eyes.

Emily waited until she had his full attention and asked, "Be honest Morgan, you are in love with PG, aren't you?"

There was no use in denying it anymore he was head over heels in love with his best friend. He sadly nodded his head in the affirmative. "Yes, I have been for a very long time now. I was just scared."

JJ and Emily both grinned like the cat that swallowed the canary and giggled. JJ squealed out. "We knew it, we just knew it, finally!"

Derek scrunched his sexy and expressive eyebrows and stared incredulously at the girls. "What do you mean, finally? You guys know! Who else knows?"

JJ retorted back as she shook her head, "Men! Duhhh! The whole team and your mom knows, too! We all have been waiting years for the two of you to figure it out and admit it to each other. You guys are meant to be together you are true soulmates!"

As both girls giggled, Derek allowed a little smirk to form on his handsome face. "So, everyone knows, huh? I thought I hid it extremely well. Every time I would get up my courage to tell her, one of us would be with be someone else. Finally, I decided that if she was happy I would let her go and try and move on. That's why I started dating Savannah seriously. She is nice, but she isn't my Goddess! It took me a long time to realize I just wanted to be with my Baby Girl, because I will never be able to love Savannah like that. I don't want to hurt her, but I will never truly be happy with her. I want to spend the rest of my life with Pen and have many babies with her. I can't stand the thought of being without her by my side! She is my life and my guiding light that I follow through all the darkness that we see. Now, I have completely lost my best friend, my heart and the only woman I ever truly loved."

Emily chuckled. "Boy dude, you got it bad! We will try to figure this out with you and get her back to you. What are you going to do about Savannah?"

Derek gave a weak smile. "Yeah, I guess I do have it bad! Do you think she feels the same way?"

Both girls yelled out in unison. "YESSSSSS!"

He ran his hand over his head and then rubbed the back of his neck. "You really think so?"

Together again in unison they yelled. "YESSSSSS!"

Derek felt a little bit of hope creep into his heart. "As far as Savannah goes, I will find a way to break it off with her without hurting her too much. It won't be easy, but I don't want to lie to her anymore and lead her on even worse. Nobody deserves to be lied to like that."

JJ stood up and walked over to her _brother_ and gently placed her arm around his shoulder. "Derek, everything will eventually work out the way it is supposed to. You just tried to make yourself happy. I know you didn't mean to hurt anyone, you have a very special gentle heart and soul. That's why we all love you and why Garcie fell in love with you, too!"

Derek brought her in for a hug. "Thank you for saying those things, it really means the world to me. I love you all very much, too! I know I don't say it or show it that much, but you guys are my family and mean the world to me! Come here Em, group hug."

Emily complied and made her way over to them and joined in on the group hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes while sending out and receiving support from each other.

After they pulled apart Derek shot each of them a look and said. "We should get out of here for the night, head home and get some rest. We all have had a rough week."

They nodded in agreement and headed out to the bullpen. They made their way to the entrance and found Hotch, Rossi and Spencer heading out to leave, as well. Before they all said their goodbyes, Rossi suggested a family dinner with Fran at their favorite Italian restaurant. They all agreed and headed out. During their dinner, the girls filled everyone else in on the situation with Penelope. They hoped they would all be willing to help to try and figure out what exactly happened with their girl.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am so glad that everyone is enjoying this story, so far! Thank you for your reviews and all that have followed and favorite this angsty and emotional story. God bless and I appreciate all of you!**

The next two months dragged by for everyone, but mostly for Derek. He walked around a shell of his normal self. He was heartbroken and completely depressed. Things went from bad to even worse. After he found the courage, he finally sat down with Savannah and gently tried to explain his true feelings towards her and Penelope. Needless to say, Savannah did not handle the news too well. To be honest, she freaked out so much, she slapped him across the face twice, stomped around his place and destroyed his flat screen television when she flung a metal framed photograph of Penelope right into the middle of it. She couldn't believe he chose in her words, "that fat, ugly slut" instead of her sexy gorgeous thin self. He ended up having to throw her out of his apartment. No one talked about his Baby Girl like that, NO ONE!

In the meantime, Penelope would not budge regarding her status about Derek. She left everything utterly professional with Derek. She was her normal, funny, smart cracking and relaxed self with everyone else. She also shamelessly flirted with a few other of the agents from Teams B and C, much to Derek's horror. Whenever he would overhear her with them, the green-eyed monster just took over his thoughts and his heart. Even, when the team would hang out after hours she would have nothing to do with him.

The last and worst blow to him was the day she came bouncing into work all excited two weeks ago. She was uberly excited, she couldn't wait to tell everyone that she was engaged and would be marrying Sam in six weeks. The whole family was absolutely stunned and dismayed. They all put on a false happy front as she showed off her ring and they gave their congratulations. Derek's response was to grit his teeth, his hands formed two fists and tears welled up in his eyes as he rushed out of the room. By the time everybody realized he was gone, he was in his SUV and was speeding away from headquarters.

Derek ended up running to the first open bar he could find. There he sat as he drank and got drunker by the minute. He just wanted to give up, he couldn't take anymore. He was utterly crushed and so miserable that he contemplated resigning from the BAU and moving across the country far, far away from the love of his life. By the time Rossi tracked him down, he was completely trashed and he had made up his mind to leave. He couldn't watch her be happy while he was so miserable, despondent and tortured. He just knew deep down If he stayed, he would end up doing something that would break everyone's hearts.

 _Flashback_

 _Rossi walked into the bar and spotted his stepson and immediately knew he was three sheets to the wind. He made his way over to Derek and slapped his shoulder as he sat down._

 _Derek looked over and saw who it was and slurred out. "Hey Dad, how ya be? Join me in a drink?"_

 _Rossi sat there and smirked as he munched on some peanuts. "I think you have had enough for both of us already, son."_

" _Nahhh man, we's celebratin! My Baby Girl the woman of my dreams is getting married and not to me! Hurray!"_

 _Derek broke out into hysterical laughter. "I guess I got the short straw. Well, no worries, I will get the last laugh you'll see!"_

 _Rossi studied him for a minute while he tried to get a read on him. He was afraid to ask his question, more accurately he was afraid of his stepson's answer. "What are you talking about, Morgan? Are you going to break your momma's heart?"_

 _Derek stared at him as he threw his hand on Rossi's shoulder. His eyes teared up and he nodded his head. "I will get the last laugh when I leave and make a new life somewhere else. I can't stay here, man! I, I, I just can't. I can't watch the woman I love marry that blubbering fool and act all happy about it, it would be downright torture for me. My Momma will just have to understand."_

 _Rossi hung his head for a moment and contemplated. "Son, you've had way too much to drink. Let's get you outta here and I will bring you home. Once we get you back home we'll sober you up. And then, you, me and your momma will figure this out. I promise you, Derek!"_

 _Derek put up a slight fuss, but in the end Rossi won out. Derek went to take his first step after standing up, stumbled, and almost fell. Rossi and the bartender helped him out to the car. Rossi strapped him in, started the engine and headed for the mansion._

 _Once there, Rossi helped him inside and as soon as they got him to bed he passed right out. Sometime later he woke up, appeared sober, and they all participated in that talk Rossi promised him earlier. The whole team was invited over sans Penelope, they worked to convince him to stay and not give up just yet. They got him to give his word that he would not leave or do anything rash for at least ninety days._

 _End of Flashback_

Over the last two weeks after Penelope's big announcement, things remained very tenuous within the BAU family. Derek was still downtrodden, depressed, and completely miserable. He would report to work and barely said anything to anybody unless it pertained to work. Hotch was extremely worried about the mental status of his top notch fellow agent. He came close a few times to pulling him off full duty status and not allowing him to work cases. Derek was very insistent that he could handle his job. So far, he somehow managed to compartmentalize his emotions while on the few cases they were sent on. As much as it killed him to do so, he gave a huge berth to Penelope.

Penelope on the other hand, was bouncing off the walls while she started to stress out with wedding plans. She asked each of the team except for Derek to participate in the wedding ceremony. Hotch and Spencer were the only ones that begged off, stating they were uncomfortable because they didn't know Sam that well. Of course, the real reason being they didn't want to crush Derek anymore. Rossi was asked to give Penelope away and begrudgingly agreed. JJ accepted the matron of honor title and Emily would be a bridesmaid. Henry would be the ringbearer.

Not one of them thought that Sam was good enough for their girl. They didn't like the way he treated her or talked to her, they never did. There was just something about him that gave them the heebie-jeebies.

The girls and Rossi made sure that Derek knew they were sorry. They hated that they were stuck in the middle and struggled with their decisions. Derek tried to be supportive of their predicament. It was extremely difficult and he struggled with it every day. He didn't want to harbor any ill feelings or hold any grudges. So, he promised himself that he wouldn't take anything out on them.

In the meantime, the groom-to-be was ecstatic. Not only was he going to marry Penelope, but even better, he relished in the thought he managed to beat out Derek. He got the girl and Derek was the big loser and would never be happy again. Sam was on top of the world with the thought that he took "the Derek Morgan" down. Sam also knew he had to continue to feed her those _vitamins_ , especially until he could put his next part of the plan into action. The next step would happen after he got Penelope down the aisle and married to him. The next part for him was insisting and pushing her to quit her job at the BAU. He needed to get her out of the country and off the grid. He wouldn't allow any contact with anyone from her present or past. He needed total control over her and would not take any chances of losing his absolute domination of Penelope.

Everyone was summoned to the BAU at a very ungodly hour for the newest case. They all reported grumbling and bleary-eyed. They caught an extremely bad case in San Diego, which thus far had claimed four beautiful red-headed women in their early twenties. They were all raped, tortured, bludgeoned to death and left nailed to trees in children's playgrounds. Two of the biggest similarities, besides the ages and hair colors of each of the victims were the fact that they each belonged to the same social media sites and that there were messages from the unsub left on their personal computers.

The whole team sat around the table studying their tablets as Penelope presented the horrifying elements and photos of the case and crime scenes. After much discussion they decided, time was of the essence before another victim cropped up. Hotch made the decision that Penelope would travel with them, because of the use of the victim's personal computers and being that they were possibly hacked.

Hotch looked at Penelope. "Do you have your go bag, Garcia?"

Penelope responded and smirked. "Yes sir, I was born ready!"

Hotch looked around the room. "Wheels up in thirty!"

Everyone stood up and dispersed in their separate directions. They all headed to grab their go bags and the rest of their belongings for the trip. During that time, everyone called their loved ones letting them know they were headed to San Diego for a bad case and they would get in touch when they could.

When the team arrived in San Diego they hit the ground running. While enroute there, another grisly murder victim and site were found. It absolutely was the work of the same unsub, all details about the crime were identical to the other victims and crime scenes. Some of them worked on victimology while others visited all the crime scenes. Penelope was doing what she did best. She tried to track down the unsub with the use of her expert computer skills. They needed to move quickly so they could present a profile as soon as possible.

Penelope's searches weren't going as fast as she hoped they would. Nothing solid had been yielded yet with the parameters they'd provided to Penelope so far. The team was getting discouraged and disgusted. Since their arrival, two more victims had been found. That brought the total up to seven beautiful young women that were murdered and they were no closer to finding the sick animal.

Even away from home Penelope's behavior did not change towards Derek. She was still all business and cold to him. It broke everyone's heart to watch her behavior and the toll it was taking on their heartbroken family member. Derek was finding it harder and harder to concentrate and compartmentalize his feelings for his Baby Girl. He remembered the promise he made to his family, but he didn't know how much longer he could go on like this.

When they first arrived, it was decided that Hotch and Rossi would share a room, Derek and Spencer shared another and the girls would all bunk together. Penelope was thrilled, that meant her and girls could discuss more about the wedding plans. Too bad that the girls didn't feel the same way, they didn't want to have anything to do with this wedding. They both knew that something was terribly wrong, but unfortunately, they didn't want to voice that. They didn't want to hurt their bestie. So, they continued with their charade and prayed for a miracle.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZ READ AND REVIEWED**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to all that have read, reviewed, followed and favorited my story! It truly warms my heart and means the world to me. I love you all! Now, on to the next installment of this story. I hope you enjoy it and the plot thickens! Lol….**

On their very first morning, while everyone was getting ready for the start of their day, Emily and JJ both noticed Penelope taking a bunch of pills. As time dragged by, the girls still observed Penelope taking those pills. It was day number four, and their curiosity had gotten the better of them. Normally, they wouldn't have said anything, but they both knew how much she hated taking any kind of pills.

Emily was the first to speak up with a confused look on her face. 'Hey PG, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, my raven-haired beauty!"

"Since when do you take any type of pills? What are those that you have been taking?"

Penelope shrugged. "Ohhh them, they are just vitamins."

JJ then asked. "Why so many, Garcie?"

Penelope looked at both girls and became a little uneasy. "I don't know, Sam says I need them all to stay healthy."

Both Emily's and JJ's eyebrows shot up. "That is what Sam says, huh? Does he take them too, Garcie?"

Penelope quickly answered. "Ohh yes, he says he takes them every day, too."

Emily spoke up again. "How long have you been taking these vitamins? How often do you have to take them?"

Penelope scrunched her nose while she looked all around the room and tried to remember when she started taking them. "Welllll, I take them every day and I think I started taking them about three months ago."

Emily and JJ shot looks at each other appearing to be thinking the same thing. "Three months, huh? Have you noticed any changes? Are they giving you more energy? Do you think they are helping?"

Penelope was beginning to get a bit annoyed with the sudden interest in her vitamins. "Yea, three months! No, I don't feel any different, just tired a lot. I am not sure they are helping. I guess they are, Sam said they are helping me drastically. He said my moods are much better when he is with me. What's the big deal? Why the sudden interest?"

JJ replied as she walked over to Penelope and placed her arm over Penelope's shoulder to try to assuage her. "There is no big deal girly, we were just curious. I am so glad that they seem to be helping you. Maybe Em and I should take some too! Don't you think that would be great, Em?"

Emily following suit also walked over to them and placed her arm around Penelope's other shoulder. "You know what JJ, I think that is a great idea! We should pick up some later today if we get a chance. We need to stay healthier, as well."

Penelope looked happy. "Well, girlies it looks like we will all be nice and healthy. Yayyyy! I need to run to the ladies' room before we leave for the police station. I will be right out."

"Take you're your time, PG."

As soon as Penelope left the room, the girls scurried around quickly and took a sample of each pill. They stuffed them in their pockets with just seconds to spare before Penelope returned. Nothing else was said, they gathered their things and headed to begin their very long day.

Shortly after arriving at the police station, Penelope was busy at work running more searches on both the unsub and the victims hoping to find more similarities. Emily and JJ both signaled to the rest of the team to follow them outside. They were quite anxious to spill the beans on what they found out and what they suspected. Hopefully it would help the depressing situation between Derek and Penelope. Once outside, the girls started to explain everything.

Emily started first. "We found out something very interesting this morning. JJ and I noticed from the first day that we arrived here that PG was taking vitamins every day."

Derek feeling a bit impatient and unsure he wanted to hear anything else about the woman that broke his heart spat out. "Yeah, so what! Who cares!"

JJ huffed out. "Chill out, bro! This could be good news for you if what we suspect is true. Let us finish!"

Derek begrudgingly nodded his head and said nothing further as he waited to hear the rest.

Emily put her hands on her hips and began to speak again. "This really could be something important. Just wait to hear the rest of this. Anyway, we questioned her about these vitamins _._ First off, what made us suspicious was the fact we all know how PG hates to take any type of medication or pills. Here she was swallowing a whole handful of them every day."

Everyone's ears started to perk up more especially Derek's. He knew Emily was absolutely right on.

JJ then continued the story. "Sooo, we asked her why she started taking them and she said Sam told her to. That they would make her healthier and that he was supposedly taking some, too. She said she doesn't feel much different, other than being tired more often. She also said that Sam told her that he saw a difference in her moods when they were together."

Spencer interjected. "Did Garcia tell you when she started taking these vitamins?

Emily chirped in. "That's the best part, she said that she started taking them about three months ago."

All at the same time the team looked at each other with wide eyes and a light bulb went off.

Rossi blurted out. "Wait a minute! Derek isn't that about the time when she started to change?"

Derek practically yelled out. "It sure is! Unbelievable, I will kill that son-of-a-bitch. I knew it, I just knew it, I knew this wasn't her or her idea! I will beat the shit out of him!"

Hotch jumped in. "Easy, Morgan easy! We don't even know if this is true or not! We have no proof."

In the meantime, Derek was pacing around like a caged animal while he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and the other hand in a tight fist.

JJ smirked as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a wadded napkin and opened it. "Not yet anyway, but we will!"

Everybody's eyes practically popped out. Rossi asked. "Is that what I think it is?

The girls in unison squealed out. "Yes, sir!"

Derek whirled around and stared at the pills in JJ's hand. "Way to go, my sista's!"

They both looked at him, smirked and winked at him. Spencer reached out for them and JJ handed them over to him. He stood there silently for a while as he studied each pill.

Hotch finally spoke. "What do you think, Reid?"

Spencer looked up at Hotch. "I think we need to get these, tested right away. I also think that these are probably laced with a kind of mind-altering drug.

Rossi walked over and stood right in front of Spencer. "Give 'em here, kid! I will send them out right away."

Everybody gazed over at Derek who suddenly seemed very quiet. There he stood with his arms crossed with a very strange look on his face. For the first time, they couldn't read him and figure out what he was thinking.

Rossi approached him and clapped his shoulder and looked at him cautiously. "Son, what's wrong? What's going on in your overwhelmed heart and head? I thought this might make you happy?"

Derek looked around at his family and wasn't sure if he should tell them what was on his mind. He stayed silent afraid of what they might say.

Spencer looked concerned. "Come on big brother! In your words, spill it!"

JJ jumped in. "Derek, you are starting to worry us! Let us help!"

Derek stayed quiet for a few more minutes while he pondered. He was starting to worry himself, he had a myriad of thoughts running through his head.

Hotch decided to chime in and slightly smirked as he said. "Morgan speak up, that's an order?"

Derek looked over to his friend and boss, rolled his eyes and gave him a smirk as well. "Alright, alright I will spill guys. My mind is all over the place and I don't want to get my hopes up too much. I don't think I could take any more disappointment. I have a million, " _what if's"_ rolling around inside me."

Spencer walked over to his _brother_ and placed a concerned hand on Derek's shoulder. "Take it slow Morgan, we are here to help."

Derek looked over at him and nodded his head. "Thanks Pretty Boy! On one hand, I almost hope that it is drugs. I know that sounds awful, to wish that my best friend, the woman I love was being drugged. At least if it is drugs, then hopefully their effects can be reversed. On the flipside, if it isn't drugs then I am right back where I started from without my goddess. I love her so much, that it's killing me to know that that piece of crap would stoop so low to do something like that to Baby Girl. What gave him the right to do that? He could have killed her or something."

JJ stepped up and threw her arms around Derek and brought him in for a much needed hug. "Awwww, bro it's going to be alright, you'll see. It doesn't sound awful, on the contrary, it sounds hopeful. Hope is not a bad thing, we will get through this together and will keep our girl safe. Soon, we will know if indeed the pills are tainted or not. Just keep thinking positive, somehow someway we will bring back the old Penelope and you guys will be able to share your futures together."

"Thanks JJ, from your lips to God's ears. "

Hotch spoke up. "First thing we need to do is get those pills tested. Next, we need to accidentally lose those pills. Can you girls handle that?"

Emily jumped in. "Absolutely Hotch, I am sure that will not be a problem. Right JJ?"

JJ pulled away from Derek and replied. "Yup, not a problem at all."

The group let out a small chuckle. As they got ready to disperse Derek cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He looked around at his whole family completely grateful. "Thanks guys, for everything."

They all nodded as Hotch crossed his arms on his chest. "Dave, take those pills to be tested and the rest of us get back to the case. The quicker we catch this unsub the quicker we can work on helping Gar-."

Before he could finish his sentence, Penelope ran out and yelled out. "I think I found something, guys!"

Immediately, they all followed her inside to see what she found out except for Rossi. He took off to run the drugs to the lab for analysis.

The rest of the day flew by as the team ran around while they followed the leads that Penelope's babies gave her. Nothing panned out and they still were no closer to locating and identifying the unsub. Before leaving for the night to head to the hotel, Penelope had narrowed her searches even more. Hopefully, something would show up while they were resting.

They all left the police station for the evening and since they were all starving decided they would head out to eat. They were all hankering for Italian and they found one of best Italian places in town and tried to enjoy themselves. As usual, Penelope was chatty and carefree with everyone, but Derek of course. The whole evening Derek was extremely distracted and uncomfortable. JJ, Spencer, and Dave shot him some encouraging looks and smiles trying to give him silent support. Dave of course, picked up the check for everyone even though the others insisted that they wanted to pitch in. He scoffed at all of them and made sure everything was covered.

The food was great and they tried to enjoy their time together. It was somewhat difficult, due to the cloud of worry and anxiety that hung over all of them as they continued to wait for the test results on the "vitamins".

When they all returned to the hotel they said their goodnights and headed to their perspective rooms. When the girls entered their room Penelope immediately spoke up. "Girlies, do you mind if I use the shower first?"

They both acknowledged her. "No, not at all."

Penelope thanked them both, grabbed her things and headed into the bathroom. Emily and JJ looked at each other and knew what they had to do. They used this time wisely and rushed around while they tried to locate all of the "vitamin" bottles. Once they were satisfied they found them all, JJ ran out of the room and right to the Hotch and Rossi's room. They thought it would be better to get them completely out of there so Penelope would not accidentally stumble onto them. Once she passed them to the guys she quickly ran back to her room. She made it back just before Penelope reentered the main room. Penelope was none the wiser as they all settled into their beds and fell asleep.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi all, sorry for the slight delay work has been crazy and have been doing double shifts. That is sixteen hours in the hot humidity of the Big Apple. The hotter it gets, the more they drink, the crazier and more dangerous they get. Ahhh, the life of a NYC Lt./Paramedic. LOL! Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. You guys are all the best! Soooo, the saga goes on! Enjoy!**

The next morning arrived and everyone was trying to get ready for the day. Derek was dragging because he'd not slept well at all. He was completely wound up with the thoughts they would have the test results on the pills today. If it was proven that they indeed were poisoned, then he would have no problem beating the shit out of that son-of-a-bitch and make him suffer.

Meanwhile, Penelope was frantically looking for her "vitamins." She searched the whole room and bathroom twice. She was extremely upset, she didn't want to let Sam down by not taking them. She asked both Emily and JJ if they'd seen them or moved them. They both disavowed any knowledge of their location or that they had seen them. She was beside herself thinking that Sam would be furious. She used the drive to the police station to calm herself down.

The rest of day went by with very little progress in the case. The team was very frustrated and didn't want anyone else hurt or killed. Since there was little movement, the team decided to call it a day and hope that tomorrow Penelope's searches would bear more fruit tomorrow.

They decided to go out for dinner before they would head back to the hotel. Just before they left the station Penelope asked to be dropped off at the hotel. She was still very upset about losing her pills, she was dealing with an awful headache and didn't have much of an appetite. They double checked with her as they pulled up to the hotel and she continued to beg off.

They dropped her off and headed for some Chinese food and sushi. They'd just arrived and placed the order for their meal when Rossi's phone went off. He excused himself, stood up and found a quiet corner in order to hear the voice on the other end.

When he returned to their table, he plopped down in his seat and looked angry and fierce. The group looked at him and knew instantly something was terribly wrong.

Hotch looked at his best friend and asked. "Dave, what's wrong?"

Dave looked around the table and finally settled his gaze on Derek before he went on to speak.

Derek, as well as the rest of the family tensed up immediately. Derek rasped out. "Man, don't leave us hanging. What did they say?"

Dave gulped and snarled out. "They were definitely tampered with. They were all laced with Scopolamine and Ketamine."

Derek was livid, immediately twisted his hands into fists and forcefully slammed them down on the table which shook the whole table. The whole room was filled with other patrons that were startled and quickly turned to look at them. Hotch jumped up, apologized to everyone while he assured them everything was fine and sat back down. The team tried to convince Derek to get a hold of himself and not make a scene in the restaurant.

Derek's eyes glistened with unshed tears and gritted out. "I knew it, I just knew it! I knew that it couldn't be my Goddess, she wouldn't shut me out on her own. I am going to kill that little shit. How dare he do that to my Baby Girl and us! He definitely had no right?"

Spencer clapped Derek's shoulder as he looked around the table. "Calm down Morgan, this isn't going to help the situation. We need to figure out how to handle this. Right now, she is off her regiment until we get her home. Both drugs if not given on a continuous basis, start to lose their potency. The effects will lessen and she will be less susceptible to the power of suggestion."

JJ rasped out. "Spence, what are you saying? Is there a chance we can fix this?"

Spencer looked around at his family. "Absolutely, there is huge possibility this can be fixed. I think that it's hold over her has already started to wane."

Emily needed to know. "How do figure that, Reid?"

"Well, she has been fighting a headache all day and lost her appetite. Those are two of the early symptoms of withdrawal."

Derek decided to speak again now that he managed to calm himself down a bit. "Are you sure, kid? Will it be dangerous for Baby Girl? I don't want her to suffer or get hurt."

Spencer placed his hand on his _brother's_ shoulder as Derek's eyes bore right into him. "I am sure, Morgan! She will experience some more headaches, she won't eat much, there will be some nausea, possibly vomiting and dizziness. It shouldn't last too long and there shouldn't be any long-lasting effects. We will all keep an eye on her and make sure she is okay. My sister is a strong lady and will come through this."

Derek gave a small smile. "You betcha, Pretty Boy! She is the strongest, smartest, kindest and most beautiful woman I have ever known. She just has to be alright and go back her old fun and perky self. I love her and miss her sooo much!"

Emily smirked, "Ohhh yeah dude, you got it bad!" everyone chuckled.

Derek winked at her. "You got that shot right!"

They all enjoyed the rest of their meal while they discussed possible strategies. It was decided that they would keep a close watch over her for the remainder of the case. They also thought the best course of action was not to approach her until they were back home. In the meantime, they would ensure that she remained "vitamin" free.

The next morning the team all walked into the police station to find out that two more bodies were found about an hour ago. The unsub was absolutely escalating and spiraling, he hadn't killed two at the same time before. Penelope entered the room she was temporarily using as an office and quickly she sat down at her babies. She immediately noticed that her searches finally yielded a name and address of the possible unsub.

Penelope suddenly jumped out of her seat and ran into the conference room where the team was located. She knew they were getting ready to head to the latest crime scene and she needed to catch them before they left.

She ran into the room out of breath and yelling. "I found him, I found him!'

Hotch ran over and stood in front of her. "Garcia, calm down. Who did you find, the unsub?"

She took a huge deep breath before answering him. "Yes, I found the unsub. His name is Marc Roberts and I have his address, too."

"That's great Garcia, good work! Send the information to our phones."

"Yes sir, right away. Be careful my fine furry friends!"

She turned around and rushed back to her office to send out the needed information. At the same time, the team began to prepare themselves to capture the unsub. They checked their guns and ammo and carefully placed their bulletproof vests on. Hotch went to inform the police chief to gather his officers and follow them to the unsub's home. Once the information they needed was sent, they all headed out and raced to get their suspect.

While Penelope sat there worrying about her family and waiting for them to return to her safely she felt miserable. Her head felt like it was splitting wide open, she was quite nauseous and her body ached. It had been over forty-eight hours since she had popped a pill of any kind. She ended up meandering over to the kitchen area, made herself a nice hot cup of chamomile tea, hoping it would calm her stomach down.

Meanwhile across town, the team and the local officials were just pulling up down the street from the possible unsubs home. They sent an officer to run a quick recon mission. When he came back, he reported that he couldn't see any movement in the parts of the house he could observe. They decided they would go in and go in heavy just in case. Hotch divided everybody into teams. It would be himself, Rossi, JJ and two officers for back up going through the front door. The other team would be compromised of Derek, Spencer, Emily and two officers to enter through the back door. They would also have two officers covering each side of house.

Everybody signaled that they were in place and ready to breach. On the count of three they would make entry _. One, two, and three_ \- the doors flew open once both Hotch and Derek kicked them in. As the two teams made their way into the house to begin their search, you could hear different voices yelling "clear" from all parts of the house.

Derek managed to already clear two rooms on the top floor, as Spencer was across the hallway checking his last room with 2 officers. Derek was at the last door when he found it locked. He brought up his leg and easily kicked the door in. Upon his entry, the closet door suddenly and unexpectedly flew open and the unsub quickly opened fire. Derek took the first hit in the upper right arm, the next three shots hit him in the vest and the fifth shot caught him in the left chest right above the vest. During the attack, Derek still managed to get off several shots and brought the unsub down.

After the first shot rang out everybody ran in the direction from where the shots were heard. Spencer immediately knew it was Derek and that he was in trouble. He was the first one to make it to Derek's side. Derek laid their unresponsive to Spencer's pleas to talk to him.

Hotch and the rest of the team came running up the stairs and down the hall. Hotch bellowed out. "Dammit Morgan, Reid sound off!"

Spencer screamed. "Last room on the left, Hotch! Derek's been hit, he's down! Repeat he is down! Medics, we need medics!"

The team rushed into the room and everyone crowded around Derek and Spencer. Rossi ran over to the unsub and kicked away his gun, he leaned down and checked for a pulse. As soon as he found no pulse, he stood up and quickly made his way over to his stepson.

Dave looked at Spencer with tears in his eyes and began trembling. "How is he Reid? How bad is it?"

Spencer looked up with petrified eyes as he rasped out. "It's bad, really bad! He took five hits but, the worse one he took is in the chest above the vest. He hasn't regained consciousness and has lost a lot of blood. I am afraid the bullet might have nicked the heart."

As the girls gasped out of fright and shock, Hotch stood there and shook his head. Dave yelled. "Where are those damn medics?"

Just as he finished his sentence the medics came running into the room. One immediately knelt next to Derek as Spencer filled him on everything he had noted thus far, while he continued his pressure to the chest wound. His partner started to make her way over to the unsub, Hotch gained her attention and told her he was already dead and to help her partner. The medic nodded and headed back towards Derek.

Both medics feverishly worked to ensure that Derek was stable enough to move him. They took his vitals, placed him on oxygen, started an IV on him to replace the fluids he was losing and he was hooked to the cardiac monitor. Just before they started to move him onto the stretcher the cardiac monitor started going crazy setting off alarms.

JJ screamed at them. "What, what is going on?"

One medic replied tensely. "He is crashing!"

JJ and Emily squeaked out simultaneously. "Ohhh my God, Derek noooo!"

The other medic shouted. "We're losing him, no pulse! Start CPR and let's get him intubated!"

The team just stood there looking around at each other with unspent tears in their eyes. They were terrified that he would die right in front of them. They just couldn't lose him, especially not now, he had too much to live for, now that they knew the truth.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I wanted to wish all of you a happy and safe 4** **th** **of July! Have fun and be careful with any fireworks you may be around. Thank you to all of you that have read, reviewed, followed and favorited this story. You truly make me feel blessed!**

Spencer started compressions, while one medic performed the intubation and the other one got ready to shock him. Once he was intubated, he was given medications to hopefully start his heart which was to avail. Finally, after the medic delivered three shocks they got a rhythm and his pulse back.

Everyone let out huge breaths in relief not realizing that they had been holding their breath since Derek coded.

Once they were certain that he could be moved they immediately placed him on the stretcher and wheeled him out to the ambulance. It was decided Spencer would ride in him for two reasons. First, was the fact that in case he god forbid coded again he could help the medics. Secondly, and most importantly, they didn't want him to be alone in case he woke up. They wanted him to know that someone who loved him was with him. Spencer held his hand and talked to him the whole ride to the hospital.

The rest of them decided the girls would head back to the police station to pick up Penelope, who didn't have a clue as to what just transpired. They decided to give her the bad news in person not knowing how she would react. Hotch and Dave followed the ambulance to the hospital. Hotch drove while Dave called his wife, Derek's mother to break the bad news. He didn't know how she would take the news about her baby boy being shot and was extremely worried about the love of his life. The bureau would be sending a car for her and she would be flown over to San Diego in their private jet.

The ambulance roared up to the emergency room doors, Spencer and the medic jumped out of the back and were met by numerous doctors and nurses. On the way into the trauma room, the medic gave a full detailed report of Derek's condition and what treatments they provided, thus far.

Hotch pulled up and screeched to a stop. They both jumped out of the SUV and sprinted into the ER entrance. As they ran in, both them noticed Spencer standing off to the side and quickly made their way over to him. He looked distraught and was drying his hands after he just finished scrubbing off Derek's blood.

Rossi blurted out. "How is he, kid? Was there any change?"

Spencer tilted his head down and stared at his hands completely emotionally spent. He stayed quiet for a bit which worried both Hotch and Dave.

Dave was completely impatient now. "What is it, kid? Is he, he, he dead?"

Spencer finally spoke up, but he practically whispered it. "We almost lost him again the ambulance. He coded, but the medic got him back again after two more defibrillations. I can't lose him, he is my big brother! He can't leave me like everyone else has."

Dave inched closer to him and pulled him in for a hug. "Awww, son he isn't going to leave us! You know how strong and stubborn he is! He will not give up on us, especially, now that there is a chance of getting Penelope back. Besides, we are all here and you will always have us, too. We all love you, kid!"

Spencer pulled away and finally looked up with a small sad smile. "Thanks guys, I love you too! We just need to stick together as a family and pray that Derek survives this."

Hotch walked over and placed his hand on Spencer's shoulder. "You know Morgan is bullheaded and the toughest SOB we know! He will fight with everything he is, to live! Trust me!"

Spencer placed his hand on top of the one Hotch had on his shoulder. "I know he is and of course I trust you guys! Ohhh my god, what about Fran and Garcia?"

Dave replied. "Don't worry Fran already knows and will be here as soon as possible. The girls went to pick up Penelope and break the news."

Exactly at that time, Emily and JJ were rushing into the police station. They still weren't sure how to handle telling Penelope the news about Derek. They hadn't heard anything yet and prayed that Derek was still holding on.

They ran into Penelope's temporary office and found her sitting there knitting while she tried to keep her mind busy.

Penelope looked up and smiled. "Hey girlies, where is everyone else? Is it time to blow this joint, pun intended?"

They looked over at each other for a few seconds not knowing how to start. They wouldn't know how Penelope would react. They knew how the old Garcia would react, but now was a huge question mark. They took a few deep breaths and then both turned to look at their best friend.

Penelope put her knitting down sensing something was wrong. She stood up, tilted her head, and gawked at the girls. "Ummm girlies, why so quiet? Is there something wrong? Seriously, where are the guys? Tell me, please."

JJ took one more deep breath. "Garcie, sit down okay? We need to tell you something."

Penelope stomped her foot, placed her hands on her hips and angrily bore into them. "No, I will not sit down! Whenever somebody tells me to sit down that means something bad has happened!"

Emily piped in, after she read the text that Hotch just sent. "You really need to sit down, PG! You're right something bad has happened."

Penelope developed a bad feeling in her gut and it wasn't her nausea. "Just tell me girlies! You're really starting to scare me."

"PG, we need to head to the hospital! Someone—"

Penelope put her hands over her mouth and gasped as she plopped down into the chair. "Ohhh my God, is someone dead? Who is it?"

JJ ran over to her. "Garcie easy, breathe! He was shot and it missed his vest. He is in bad shape, but he is strong and he will pull through. He just has too!"

The tears were raining down Penelope's face now as she began to shake and started to hyperventilate. "Who, who, who is it? Who got shot? Why aren't you telling me who it is?"

JJ hugged Penelope hoping to calm her down somewhat. "I will tell you in a sec. First, and foremost I need you to calm down and slow your breathing. It won't help anything if you pass out from hyperventilating. Easy girl, easy. Slow breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Keep that up for couple of minutes. Nice and easy, take it easy! That's better Garcie, much better. Are you feeling better, sweetie?"

Penelope shrugged and nodded, "Yeah, I feel a little better now! Will you please tell me who it is and then we can head to the hospital!'

Emily figured she would be the one to tell her and first took a deep breath, she reached for Penelope's hand and squeezed it. Penelope was feeling more frightened, impatient and frustrated.

"PG it's Derek, he was the one shot and is in emergency surgery right now! "

Penelope tensed up, swallowed hard and quickly jumped up and grabbed her things. "Well, we should get going then. We should be there for the guys and Morgan."

After her announcement, she walked out of the room and headed to the front entrance. Emily and JJ stood there stunned, mouths open and shook their heads.

Once JJ found her tongue she asked Emily. "What the? Do you think it affected her at all?"

"I am not sure, she seemed to tense up and she didn't call him Agent Morgan. I think that it did affect her, she may just need some time to digest it and let it sink in. Let's get going, the text Hotch sent didn't sound promising!"

"Em, he just has to be okay! At least he made it into surgery. We can't lose him not now, not ever! He is the big brother I never had! He has taught me so much, like self-defense, to shoot better and helped me to be a great profiler. Besides, I would really, really, miss my running partner and I love him!"

As they went rushing through the station Emily said. "I know JJ, I love him too!"

The three ladies of the BAU jumped into the SUV and Emily sped away. It was imperative that they got to the hospital as soon as possible. On the way there, they made a quick stop to grab coffee and sandwiches for everyone. They knew it was going to be an extremely long scary day.

The whole time in the SUV, Penelope sat in the back just staring out the window. Her mind was going nonstop everything was a complete whirlwind of different emotions. She was confused and couldn't think straight and on top of it all her body was still feeling funky. She couldn't get Morgan out of her head, she felt bad that he was shot. It was more than that though, she felt some different stirrings within her and they felt familiar.

Several times while enroute, both Emily and JJ peeked at their bestie to make sure she was alright. They would look at her, then each other and shrugged. They were both extremely worried and concerned about her and her mental state.

When they finally made it to the hospital, they parked the SUV and ran inside the emergency room entrance. They made their way over to the nurse's desk and asked if Derek was still in surgery and asked about the rest of the team. They were directed to the sixth floor waiting room.

The girls entered the waiting room and the guys made their way over to them. They placed the food and coffee down on a nearby table. Everyone exchanged hugs and salutations.

JJ blurted out. "How is he? Any word yet?"

Spencer gazed over at her then Penelope with sad eyes. "He coded again in the ambulance and we brought him back. They redlined him into surgery an hour ago, and we haven't heard anything since. They said it will be hours before we know anything, but it didn't look good."

Emily's eyes moved to Dave. "Rossi, what about Fran? Does she know yet?"

"Yeah Em, she knows I called her. She grabbed our jet and should be here in a few hours. You guys holding up?"

JJ piped up. "Poor Fran she must be beside herself with worry! We are doing alright, just worried and scared. We love him and it is breaking my heart!"

Dave pulled her into his arms and hugged and rocked her. "I know, I know we all love him too! He is strong and pigheaded he won't give up you will see! I promise he will come through this and get back to busting our chops!"

All of them chuckled at that as they pulled apart. He turned his attention to Penelope who stood there not saying anything. "You alright Kitten, you're awfully quiet over there?"

He made his way over to where she was standing and gave her a hug, as well. She pulled back from hm. "I'm fine, my Italian Stallion! We brought coffee and sandwiches for everyone knowing we are going to be here for a long time."

As the guys thanked the girls, Penelope walked away and sat down on one of the couches and pulled out her knitting. The rest of the team silently looked at each other and shook their heads in disbelief. Once everyone helped themselves to hot coffee and the sandwiches they each found a seat giving a wide berth to Penelope.

As Penelope sat there lost in her own little world and thoughts she couldn't shake the feeling that something was different. She tried to focus on her knitting, but was completely distracted. Occasionally, she would glance around the room and would notice that the team was observing her every time. She decided that she would step outside for some fresh air.

Penelope stood up and got the attention of the whole team. "Guys, I am heading outside for some air, if anything changes just text or call me."

They all nodded in agreement and JJ asked her. "Are you okay, Garcie? Do you want some company?"

Penelope put on a fake smile and replied. "'I'm fine, I just have to clear my head. I just want a few minutes to think by myself."

"Okay Garcie, see you in a few."

Penelope walked away and headed for the elevator. It arrived and she stepped on and headed downstairs.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4** **th** **of July! Thanks to all of you that have reviewed and are following this story! You are all the best! God bless all of you!**

After she left, JJ uttered out softly to the team. "What do you think? Do you think this is affecting her? Will she be alright by herself?"

Dave had been just sitting there worried about his wife, his stepson and Penelope. "I think she will be fine by herself. I also think that she is having an inward battle right now. She has been off the drugs for a couple of days now and her resolve is weakening. Her feelings are confusing her and I think that she may be starting to remember her feelings for Morgan."

Everybody thought about what Dave just said, each of them decided that he was right and would leave her be for now.

Penelope had stepped off the elevator and headed outside. She saw a couple of benches that were positioned alongside the water and found an empty one and sat down. After several minutes, she started feeling another headache and the nausea coming on again. She didn't know why this was constantly happening to her over the last couple of days. She spoke with Sam this morning and he told her it was probably just stress and not enough sleep. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she had lost her "vitamins", she didn't want him to get upset. She made the decision to tell him when she returned home.

As she sat there longer, Sam remained on her mind. She suddenly found herself doubting her decision about marrying him. She wasn't sure why, but something was nagging at her. She started to experience snippets of words that seem to be in Sam's voice. "No more movie nights and no more pet names. He doesn't love you and you don't love him." She kept hearing them over and over in her head and it frightened and confused her.

Then if that wasn't bad enough, she started having what appeared to be flashbacks of times gone by in slow motion. She saw smiles and laughter along with the voice of Derek. It was like watching a movie of parts of her life. She was seeing good times like popcorn, Twizzlers®, movies, dancing, BBQ's, kisses on her cheeks and temples. She kept hearing him call her Baby Girl, Goddess, and God-given Solace. She also remembered hearing her voice calling him Hot Stuff, Handsome and Chocolate Adonis.

Her head and mind were completely spinning and she needed it to stop. She wasn't comfortable with what she was feeling. The more she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together in her head the more scared and angry she was becoming. Penelope was slowly coming to a possible conclusion that she didn't want to believe or accept. She fought the tears that started to fill her eyes.

Penelope sat there whispering to herself, "It can't be, he wouldn't do anything like that! He would never hurt me like that! Nahhh, it's impossible! He—"

She was suddenly brought out of her reverie when her phone went off signaling a new text message was being received.

JJ texted her. _"Are you alright, Garcie? We need you upstairs Momma Morgan just arrived and she wants to see you."_

Penelope wiped her eyes and face and quickly responded. _"I am fine, Sunshine! I will be right there."_

She got up and hurried back into the hospital and took the elevator back up to the sixth floor. In the meantime, Fran was hugging and greeting everyone. They brought her up to speed on everything that they knew up to this point. At the time Penelope arrived upstairs, Derek had been in surgery for nearly six hours now.

Penelope practically ran into the waiting room and saw everyone. They all turned to face her and she quickly asked. "Any word yet on Morgan?"

They all sadly shook their heads no. Penelope walked over and stood directly in front of Fran. Fran closed the gap and brought Penelope into her arms and hugged her. Penelope immediately tensed up and filled with discomfort, sadness, and surprise. Penelope knew deep down that she treated Fran's son with total indifference and coolness for quite a while now. And, she felt guilty the whole time as Fran stood there and hugged her.

They pulled apart and Penelope stared at her for a moment. "I'm sorry about your son, Mrs. Rossi. I am sure he will be fine."

Fran exhibited the sadness in her eyes as she replied. "What's this Mrs. Rossi stuff? What happened to Fran or Momma Morgan? You're right, he will be fine! He can't die he just can't! I can't and won't lose my son, too!"

Penelope dropped her eyes and stared at the floor. "I'm sorry Fran, I forgot. Derek is strong and he won't leave you!"

The team's eyebrows all shot up in unison as they all had hope in their hearts. She called him Derek. That was the first time in months.

"It's okay, honey I understand. How are you doing?"

Penelope continued to stare at the floor. "Me? I am ummmm, I am alright. How are you?"

Fran looked over to her husband. "I will be better when we hear something. It shouldn't be too much longer, now."

Spencer chimed in. "Your right, Momma Morgan. He's been in surgery now for 6 hours, 51 mins and 42 secs."

Fran looked over at Reid and gave him a small smile. "Thanks Spencer, I really appreciate your accuracy."

He nodded his head as everyone began to take their seats again as their vigil continued. They all sat there shell-shocked, drank more coffee, and talked amongst themselves quietly. Dave brought his wife into his arms and held her tightly as she laid her head on his chest.

Penelope stood up, walked over to the window and stared out at the water. As she stood there, she couldn't believe how nice Derek's mother was to her. She knew that Fran was aware of her treatment towards her son. Penelope continued to feel guilty about her behavior. She now felt it in her head that her and Derek shared a definite connection. Her thoughts and feelings were still all jumbled up and she continued to struggle to separate them all. She hoped and prayed that she would sort them out soon.

Another two hours slowly dragged by until a doctor dressed in scrubs entered the room. Everyone noticed and immediately jumped to their feet and hovered around him anxiously waiting to hear about the outcome of Derek's surgery.

The surgeon cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and began to speak. "Are you all the family of Agent Morgan?"

He received a unanimous reply. "Yessss!"

He nodded in assent. "I am Dr. John Peters and I am the surgeon who operated on Agent Morgan. He made it through surgery and is now in recovery where he will remain for at least the next two hours."

Fran stepped closer and quickly interjected. Hi, doctor I am Fran Rossi and Derek is my son. How is he?"

Dr. Peters shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Rossi. As I said, he made it through surgery, but we did lose him twice on the table. He is quite the fighter and would not give up. I am not going to lie to you, he has a long way to go. His body has suffered quite a trauma. The bullet in his right arm was easily removed and there will be no lasting effects. The three bullets that he took in the vest caused a moderate amount of bruising."

Spencer interrupted him. "Excuse me, doctor. What about the one that entered his chest? What kind of damage did that do?"

While the doctor was updating them, Dave moved over next to his wife and placed his arms around her to comfort her. Everyone else stood stock still holding their breaths with unshed tears in their eyes. Penelope was trying to soak everything in as it affected her more than she thought it would. She felt the worry and guilt as it began to build up within her.

The doctor took in the anxious faces of the group that surrounded him. "Well, that is where the news isn't that good. The bullet entered the left upper chest and struck a rib, which then caused it to ricochet. It nicked his heart along with the main artery the aorta. It traveled down into his lung and caused a puncture. He lost a great deal of blood from his injuries. He is in very critical condition and on a respirator. We placed him in a medically induced coma to give his body time to heal."

Hotch looked at Fran and inched closer to Penelope. "Doctor, what does all that mean? What are his chances? Will he be alright?"

The doctor took a deep breath. "Again, I have to be honest. His chances right now are not good he has a 70/30 chance. He may not even make it through the night. The next forty-eight to seventy-two hours will be the most telling. If he can make it through tonight his chances will definitely improve."

The ladies all gasped out and began to cry except for Penelope. She stood there speechless and put her head down. Hotch, in a rare moment gently placed his arms around Penelope and hugged her. She silently accepted it and laid her head on his shoulder and accepted his comfort. She didn't know what to feel or what to say. She was inwardly experiencing an intense tug-of-war battle that she was fighting in her own mind. How it was going to turn out, she didn't have a clue!

Dave brought Fran into his arms and tightly hugged her as he lovingly rubbed his hand up and down her back. Both JJ and Spencer started to break down in the same instant, in response Emily rushed over to them and brought them both in for a hug. She tried to keep her own emotions at bay while she tried to comfort her family.

While still in the loving arms of her husband Fran rasped out. "When can we see my son? I truly need to see him and be with him. We all do."

Dr. Peters without a doubt hated this part of his job to deliver the bad news to his patient's families. He rubbed the back of his neck and calmly replied. "I understand Mrs. Rossi and I know you do. However, right now he is still in recovery and being monitored. He needs to remain there for at least another hour. As soon as we move him into the Surgical ICU, I will allow you all to visit and stay with him. I know it's a difficult time for all of you right now. I would like to suggest that you keep praying and try to think positive. He is a very strong man with a strong will to live. While you're waiting, why don't you run across the street to the diner for a bite to eat and some coffee? If anything changes I will get in touch with you, please leave your number. By the time you return, you should be able to spend some time with Agent Morgan."

At that, he said his goodbyes and walked down the hallway. Everybody looked around at each other with sad, defeated and distressed looks.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry everyone for the slight delay, things have been super busy at work. The hotter it gets the crazier and stupider they get! Hehe! I have been exhausted and fell asleep a couple of times before I could post! I am thrilled that you are all enjoying my labor of love. So, without further ado, Onnnnnn with the showwwww!**

Dave decided to speak out first, "Bella, you have to have faith, the doctor's right. My stepson is the strongest man I know. He is stubborn, and will not give up you'll see. We will not give up on him and he will pull through this, I know it."

Fran gazed into her husband's soulful deep brown eyes and softly ran her fingers down his cheek. "I love you, David Rossi! What would I do without you? You're right my Baby Boy is going to be fine. I just wish my girls were here, I couldn't get through to them ship to shore. They are somewhere in the Caribbean and don't even know about their brother being shot."

Dave cracked a small smile and pecked her cheek. "I love you too, Honey! I am here and not going anywhere. You left the girls a message and they will contact you when they can. Besides, they will be back in less than two weeks it will be okay. Look at the bright side, we have the rest of our family right here with us, right by our sides."

Fran gave him a quick kiss and hug and made the decision. "Alright my loves, let's take the doctor's advice and go get some fresh air and grab a bite to eat. When we get back we can visit my baby and will him back to us."

Hotch released Penelope and watched her as she took a seat. "Fran, that is a great idea. I know I could use the fresh air and some more hot coffee. Let's go guys, the quicker we go the quicker we can back here to see Derek."

Everybody began to gather their things to go. JJ noticed that Penelope was just sitting there staring off into space. "Come on Garcie, we are going across the street for a bite and some coffee."

Penelope just stared straight ahead with a sad expression all over her face. "Nahhh, you guys go ahead I just need to be alone."

Fran frowned and walked over to her. "Nonsense sweetie, we are all going together as a family!"

Penelope slouched down in her chair and felt deflated, confused and frightened. "I just can't go I need to think and be by myself."

Fran stood there for a minute while she contemplated. Quickly she made her way over to group and quietly said. "You guys head over and grab a table we will be there shortly."

Spencer whispered to everybody. "Do you think she is starting to get some of her old memories back?"

Dave replied quietly. "I think she is. I think without the Scopolamine and Ketamine Sam's hold is waning a bit."

Emily bit out. "God, I hope so!"

"Bella, we will see you there. Good luck and I love you!"

"I love you too, my love"

Dave gave her a loving and soft kiss and the group headed to the elevators leaving just Fran and Penelope.

Once they were gone Fran took a deep breath and walked over and sat down next to Penelope. "Sweetie, please look at me."

Penelope did not budge and remained with her head down.

"Please, honey I want to talk to you and need you to look at me. Pleeeassee!"

Penelope didn't know what to do her heart and head were all over the place. She wasn't sure if she could face Derek's mom after all that happened. She knew there were still so much more she needed to figure out, but at least she was starting to remember a little bit. Finally, she decided it was now or never. She picked her head up and looked at the very concerned face of Fran.

Fran gave her a small smile and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Penelope! First, I need you to know that I understand you are battling some demons of your own. I also know that you have a lot to think about and figure out. The rest of the family and I will help you sort this out. You may not remember right now, but I need you to know that I love you now and always. We all love you and don't you ever forget that Derek truly loves you, too!"

That was it, she couldn't hold it in anymore and the flood gates opened and Penelope began sobbing. Fran pulled Penelope into her loving arms to embrace and comfort her and let her cry it out.

Eventually, her sobs died down and all that was left were the hiccups and sniffling. She pulled back from Fran and took some deep breaths. "Thank you, Fran! I am so confused and scared right now. I don't know what to think, my mind is a jumbled mess. I need some more time before I talk to anybody. Is that alright?"

Fran smiled at her and brushed some of Penelope's tears away. "Baby, I understand, I won't push you and neither will anyone else. Now, why don't you go and rinse your face and pull yourself together. I will send a text to the others and let them know we will see them in a few minutes, alright? "

Penelope stood up and nodded her head in agreement and headed to the ladies' room. A few minutes later she exited the bathroom and they both headed to the elevators to make their way to the diner.

Once they made it over to the diner everybody ordered a bite to eat. The group sat around and ate, drank some coffee, and chit-chatted amongst themselves. All the while, Penelope was quiet and deep in thought. She still couldn't quite figure out the whole situation she found herself in.

When Penelope excused herself to use the ladies room, Fran used the opportunity to fill in the rest of family the little that she figured out from their conversation. She explained that Penelope was confused and was trying to sort through her feelings. She also told everyone to be patient and that when Penelope was ready, she promised to talk it out.

Upon Penelope's return to the table they decided that it was time to head back to the hospital in hopes of getting to visit with Derek soon. Dave took it upon himself to pay the bill. Once that was accomplished they all started back to the hospital.

When they reached the sixth floor, Fran went to the nurse's station to inform them that they were back. The nurses explained that the doctor would be with them shortly and to meet him in the waiting room. Fran headed to the waiting room and sat down next to Dave and told everyone that the doctor would be there shortly.

Approximately twenty minutes later, a tired looking Dr. Peters appeared in front of the anxious family. Everybody jumped up and waited for the update from him.

Fran was the first to nervously speak. "How is my son, doctor? Any changes?"

"Agent Morgan is still in critical condition. His vital signs have remained the same, but they are still weak. He is definitely a strong young man and has quite the will to live."

Spencer interjected. "Of course, he is strong! He is the strongest man I know! My brother has been through hell and back over the years and has always won. He won't give up on us now or ever. I can't lose anyone else! We can't lose him, we just can't."

Spencer began to tremble and slumped his shoulders. JJ hurried over to him and pulled him into her arms for a tight embrace. He held onto her for dear life.

JJ quietly comforted him. "Shhh, it's okay Spence, we aren't going to lose him. He loves us as much as we love him. He will fight with everything he has, to stay with us. He is stubborn and he is not going to leave us, I promise!"

Spencer replied. "I love him, JJ! You guys mean everything to me!"

Fran placed her hand on Spencer's shoulder. "He knows you love him, Spencer! He loves you, too! He always calls you his baby bro. My boy will come through this and will drive us all crazy again. We all love you Spencer and we are all here together!"

Fran then let go of Spencer's shoulder and grabbed a hold of Penelope's hand and squeezed it. Penelope looked at her as Fran trained her sights on the doctor. "When can we see my Baby Boy? We really need to see him and let him know we are here for him and love him."

Dr. Peters looked at all of them, took a deep breath and announced. "I can take you to him now. He is now in the SICU in Room 612. I just need to warn you all he is hooked up to, many machines including the ventilator and is very pale from the blood loss."

Fran replied while the group nodded in acknowledgment. "We understand doctor."

With all that said, the family followed the doctor down the hall to Derek's room. Everyone took a collective deep breath and walked through the door. The first thing the group noted was all the different sounds coming from the plethora of machines in the room. The next thing that grabbed their attention was Derek's pale unconscious form that was laying completely still in the bed. They were grateful for the sounds of machines because it meant that their son, their friend, and brother was still alive. It gave them comfort knowing that he was amongst them even though the ventilator was breathing for him right now.

Fran rushed to his side after releasing Penelope's hand. She lightly placed a soft loving kiss to his forehead. Dave picked up Derek's hand and squeezed it while he stood next to his wife. JJ and Emily each gave Derek a kiss on the cheek from the other side of the bed. Both Hotch and Spencer also took a turn to squeeze Derek's other hand. Only Penelope hadn't moved at all. She was glued to her spot at the end of his bed, she was quiet and just stared at him.

Dr. Peters made his way towards the door of the room. "You may all stay for as long as you need to. Just please don't interfere with the staff and their work. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask any of the nurses. I will be sending in some extra chairs. I will be back later to check on Agent Morgan. Goodnight!"

For the next while each of them grabbed at a chance to hug him, talk to him and beg him to come back to them and soon. The only one that still hadn't reacted was Penelope. She couldn't find the courage to say anything or move from her spot at the foot of his bed. She did however, have tears running down her cheeks and both of her hands covering her mouth.

As she stood there, she began to shake and sob. So, without warning she gasped out. "Ohhh my God, Hot Stuff!"

 **TBC**

 **PLZZ READ AND REVIEWED**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favorited my story. I love you all and it's because of all you that I continue to write. You guys are my inspiration. God bless all of you and next update in a few days. Keep enjoying! :0)**

Everything suddenly came rushing back to her, all her memories, all her emotions and all her feelings for Derek. The whole family snapped their heads around at her exclamation. While Penelope's shaking and sobbing increased she quickly became extremely dizzy and felt the energy float right out of her body. Before anyone could react, Penelope passed out and landed on the floor.

They all rushed to her side as JJ screamed out. "Garcie, Oh My God!"

Dave rasped out. "Kitten, Kitten! Please wake up!"

Hotch and Dave swiftly knelt on their knees next to Penelope and Hotch helped to place her into Dave's arms. Dave slowly stood up and carried her over to the couch across the room. He gently laid her down careful to cradle her head as he did so.

Emily excitedly uttered. "What do you think happened? Is she going to be okay?"

While Spencer stepped up to take her pulse he glanced around at everybody. "I am sure she is going to be fine. Her pulse and respirations are steady and normal. She just passed out, it all became too much for her."

JJ looked down at both Spencer and Penelope with a concerned look and tears in her eyes. "She called him Hot Stuff, do you think that she remembers?"

Spencer quickly answered her as he took his free hand and held and squeezed JJ's hand. "I think she does! I think seeing him like that suddenly opened the flood gates and everything all came rushing back and it caught her off guard and her body just temporarily shut down. I also think that she has been having some memories for a few hours now."

Fran added. "I think so, too! Poor baby, she felt guilty earlier and that's why she said she wasn't ready to talk yet. I think she has been trying to process it all. The drugs have lost their hold on her."

JJ's tears continued. "She has been out for a few minutes now! I hope she wakes up soon."

Spencer quietly said. "Garcia, has been out for seven minutes and twenty-seven seconds."

No sooner did he finish saying that when everybody turned their attention back to their girl. Penelope started to stir a bit and groaned. After a few seconds and more moaning her eyes suddenly shot wide open. She laid quiet as she noticed everyone hovering around her and tears in JJ's eyes.

JJ chirped out. "Thank God! Garcie are you okay, honey?"

Penelope began to sit up as she tried to put two and two together. She sat there rubbing her shoulder and her neck completely confused.

Penelope finally found her voice. "What, what happened?"

Spencer took her hand again and sadly smiled at her. "I am not surprised you don't remember. You passed out, Garcia. You became really upset when you saw Derek."

Penelope broke loose from Spencer's hand and placed both her hands over her mouth as she realized what happened. "Ohh my God, Derek! How is he?"

Fran jumped in and said. "He's the same sweetie! He is still in a coma and fighting to come back to us."

Penelope gazed around at her family and watched all their concerned faces. She felt completely overwhelmed again. She felt guilty and ashamed for her behavior and knew that her Noir Hero would never forgive her. Penelope tensed up and needed to get out of the room. She felt like she couldn't catch her breath and that the walls were all closing in around her.

She abruptly started flailing and stood straight up and screamed out. "I can't, I just can't! I gotta get out of here!"

At that she bolted for the door and ran out startling everyone in her wake. They all looked at each other and Dave took it upon himself and took chase after her. He needed to make sure she was alright and didn't want his "daughter" to be all alone. He knew that she was experiencing a myriad of feelings and would need to talk to someone who could help her through this.

Penelope ran and ran until she couldn't run anymore. She ended up at the benches near the water's edge again. She leaned against a lamppost as she tried to catch her breath and began sobbing again uncontrollably. She really needed to figure out what she was going to do. She couldn't and wouldn't face her family again or her Hot Stuff. They must all hate her and most of all Derek, who would never forgive her for her deplorable behavior over the last few months.

She then felt another presence and then he cleared his throat.

Without turning around, she abruptly stated. "Italian Stallion, not now I need to be alone."

Dave shook his head, walked in front of her and crossed his arms. "Not a chance Kitten, I'm not going anywhere! Whether or not you know it, you need me right now!"

Penelope cried out without looking at him. "I'm leaving! Everybody hates me, I hate me! Go away!"

Dave stepped closer and enveloped her with his arms as she tried to fight him off. "Ohhh Bella, I told you I am not going anywhere! You are one of my very special daughters, I can't hate you! I love you, Penelope! Nobody hates you, we understand!"

Penelope began to hiccup and slightly hyperventilate. Dave rubbed her back in comforting circles and rocked her. "How can you not hate me? How could you understand if I don't even understand?"

Dave held and rocked her for a couple of more minutes. He then leaned back and gently took her hand and led her over to one of the benches. "Come on honey, sit down and let's figure this out." Penelope forlornly followed his lead, nodded her head, and tried to brush away some of her tears.

They both sat down and Dave grabbed both her hands in his and squeezed them. "Now, talk to me Bella. Tell me what's going on, what you are feeling and remembering? Then I will tell you what we know and figured out."

Penelope nodded, swallowed hard and took a deep breath to calm down a little before she spoke. "Where do I even start, Papa?"

"That's easy start with what you remember?"

"Easier said than done. Wellll, I started feeling things when I heard that Derek was shot. After seeing my heart hooked up to all those machines, I now remember I love him. I can't believe I forgot that! I still don't know how one day we are enjoying our movie nights, shopping, flirting and hanging out to nothing! I started calling him Agent Morgan and was so cold to him. He will hate me forever and I can't blame him, I hate me. How could I do that to the man I have always loved?"

She began sobbing again and Dave tried to calm her down. "It's not your fault, my dear daughter. It was the _vitamins_! Do you remember where you got them?"

Penelope let out a gasp and a shriek. "Ohhhh my God, how could he? How could he do that to me? I thought he loved me. It was Sam, he gave me those damn _vitamins_ and made me take them. He said they were good for me and would make things better. I am such an idiot, I believed that slimeball! He took away my love for Hot Stuff!"

"Calm down Kitten, calm down! I don't want you to pass out on me again. I will try and explain what we know."

Penelope took several deep breaths and calmed herself down a bit. She needed to understand what happened and listened to Dave intently. "Now, for the longest time none us could figure out what was going on with you. We hoped that whatever it was would get better, but as time passed it became worse. The funny part was, that Derek was the only one you cut yourself off from completely. We almost gave up when you announced your engagement. Derek was crushed and was ready to give his notice to leave the unit and the state, but we were able to temporarily talk him out of it and give you another ninety days."

Penelope began to tremble, and went to hug Dave as she laid her head on his shoulder and began to cry her eyes out again. "Ohhh Noooo Papa, what have I done! I hurt the best friend and the best man I have ever known. How could I have done that? I should have fought harder, I didn't mean to hurt Derek!" She abruptly pulled back and looked directly into his eyes.

"We all know that, Bella! We all know you would never intentionally hurt Derek and we have known for years that you were both in love with each other! We were just waiting for the both of you to admit it and stop being so damn stubborn! "

Penelope let out a small sad chuckle. "You guys had it all figured out, huh? I guess I sorta did too! I was scared, scared of losing what we had, scared of losing my best friend and I couldn't take that chance. I always knew I wasn't his type, I was just a fat geeky nerd."

"Penelope Garcia, you stop that! I never ever want to hear you talk like that again! You are a beautiful loving and special woman and Derek knew that, that is why he fell head over heels in love with you! He was just scared like you were and that's why he could never be happy trying to love someone else."

Penelope gave him a tiny hint of a smile and sniffled. "You really think so, Papa Bear?"

Dave brushed some of the damp tendrils of hair away from her face and winked at her. "I know so, Baby Girl!"

She giggled, leaned towards him, and placed a quick peck to his cheek. "Thank you, my Italian Stallion. I love you sooo much! Now, what can you tell me about those _vitamins_?"

Dave quirked his lips into a smile and cupped her face with one hand. "I love you too, my beautiful daughter! Well, as far as those _vitamins_ they were laced. Once the girls noticed you taking them they told us all about them. We had the girls take them, hide them and we sent a few of them out to the lab to be tested. The results came in earlier this morning before we headed out to the unsub."

Penelope interrupted him. "So, that is where they went to! I was really scared that I was going to have to tell Sam I lost them. I figured he would definitely be upset with me. So, that's why I decided I wasn't going to tell him until I got back home. I am glad JJ and Emily took them away from me. I have been feeling weird the last couple of days. I have been feeling dizzy, shaky, nauseous and dealing with a screaming headache that just won't quit. Does Derek know about the results?"

"That's the drug, Bella! You are withdrawing from it and those are all symptoms of withdrawal. The drugs he gave to you are called Scopolamine and Ketamine. They are types of an hallucinogenic and they make the person very susceptible to any suggestion. They are usually referred to the "date-rape drugs". The effects remain with you if it's given to you regularly which I see it was. It should be completely out of your system within the next couple of days. To answer your question, yes Derek was there when we received the results. We all unanimously decided we would tackle it when this case was done."

Penelope scrunched her nose and forehead like she does when she confused or in deep thought. "Hmmm, Scopolamine and Ketamine? Scopolamine, why do I know those names? I know it from somewhere…. Ohh my, I remember now! Those are the drugs "Mr. Scratch" used on Hotch and those poor people. Jinkies, are they going to leave any permanent damage to me or my mind?"

Dave held her by the shoulders and stared directly at her. "You're right they are the same drugs that were used on Aaron, but I promise that it won't give you any lasting damage! Until it's completely gone, it may play with your memories a bit, but that's all. You are going to be fine just like Derek is going to be fine."

Penelope slumped her shoulders and suddenly remembered something else. "Dave, I just had a memory that I had a flash of earlier."

Dave became concerned. "What is it, Kitten?"

Penelope took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders. "I remember Sam's voice giving me instructions!"

"Do you remember anything he said?"

She nodded her head affirmatively. "It comes back in flashes, but I think I remember most of it. Sam kept telling me that Derek didn't love me and that I didn't love him anymore. He told me no more movie nights, no more hanging out, no more flirting and no more pet names. I was only allowed to see or speak to Derek at work and I was to call him Agent Morgan or Morgan only. I seem to have a memory of him telling me that Derek would never want to be with someone like me."

Penelope looked so sad as the tears started to build up in her eyes again. Dave smiled at her while he cupped her face with both of his hands. "Ohhh my daughter, that is so not true, I promise. That stepson of mine and the love of your life, who is in that hospital fighting for his life, loves you with his whole being. You two belong togeth—"

"Shit! Ohhh God!" she screeched as she just remembered a huge piece of the puzzle that still was in her mind.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I am so glad that everyone is enjoying this story. Thank you all for your wonderful feedback. Keep it coming it is a tremendous help. God bless all of you! Much love to all of you!**

"What, what is it? Penelope tell me what's wrong!"

Penelope gasped and started quaking with fear. "Derek, Ohhh my goddd, Derek!"

Now, Dave was extremely worried and upset. "Whatttttt? Tell me?"

"He's, he's, he's in danger! I can't believe it. Sam told me that if I have anything to do with Derek he will, will kill him! Please keep my Hot Stuff safe! I would die if something happened to him because of me. Please, please, please…"

Penelope developed a flood of tears and began hyperventilating. Dave immediately threw his arms around her and began to comfort and rock her trying to calm her down.

"Easy Kitten, easy! We won't let anything happen to him, you got my word on that! Sam won't get anywhere near him. We have the best bodyguards we could ever ask for. Between you, me, Fran, and the team he will be completely protected and loved, he will pull through this, you'll see! Sam will never hurt either of you again! Don't you worry about Sam, there will be a warrant out for his arrest, PRONTO!"

Penelope took some deep slow breaths and started to calm herself down and squeaked out a little smile. "What would we do without you? I have faith in you and the rest of our fine furry family. The most important thing right now is to keep my Chocolate God safe and perfectly sound. Don't worry about me, hopefully Derek will forgive me for being a full-on idiot."

Dave squeezed his "daughter" tighter and rocked her gently. "To answer your question, you will always have me I'm not going anywhere! You are stuck with this old salty Italian Stallion and the rest of this crazy bunch of misfits for a very long time. I promise you, we will keep your Chocolate God safe, no matter what! Please don't blame yourself and stop putting yourself down. You just believed in the wrong person and that's all on that animal. He will get his, but good! Trust me on that sweetie!"

Penelope held on for dear life as more tears fell down her beautiful face. "Thank you, thank you for everything! You all mean the world to me. I love you always, Papa Bear!"

Dave smiled and pulled slightly away from her and winked. "I love you too, kiddo! We just need Derek to wake up and come back to us. Now, why don't we head back upstairs so you can spend some greatly needed alone time with your boy."

They released each other and slowly stood up as Penelope nodded in acknowledgment. He took her hand and made their way toward the hospital entrance. They hadn't made it more than ten strides when her phone went off. She immediately knew who it was by the ringtone.

Penelope frowned and groaned as she stopped in her tracks. She rolled her eyes and looked over to Dave. "It's Sam, what should I do?"

"Answer it, tell him you are busy with the case and can't talk. We don't want him to get spooked and disappear."

She nodded and quickly answered the phone. "Hi Sam… I'm good, just tired… I don't know when I will be home… Listen, I gotta run I am uber busy over here... Okay, bye."

Dave grabbed her hand again and smirked at her. "You did great, Kitten! We have to keep him placated and not arouse any of his suspicions until we get him into custody."

They squeezed hands as they started walking to the hospital again. "Thanks, my Italian Stallion."

After speaking with Penelope on the phone, something didn't sit right with Sam. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, it was something in her voice and the fact that she didn't say "I love you back to him". He became extremely suspicious, maybe he'd been found out. He couldn't fathom how or why he would be, though. He made sure that he'd been extremely careful and methodical.

Sam decided to do some quiet snooping and perused his phone for a number he'd only used once before. He decided it couldn't hurt to call and check things out. He dialed that number and waited for him to pick up. When that person's phone rang, it startled him out of a dead sleep.

He answered his phone groggy with sleep, even though, he didn't recognize the number. "Hello."

Sam spoke up. "Hello Kevin. This is Sam, you know Penelope's fiancé."

Kevin frowned and wondered what Sam could want at this hour. "Ohhh hey, what can I do for you?"

"I know it's extremely late, but I thought you could do me a small favor."

Kevin still perplexed and half a sleep agreed to help him. "I guess. What can I do for you?"

Sam smirked knowing he would get the information he needed from the unsuspecting idiot and it made him giddy. "I just need to know if everything is alright with Penelope's team. I know they are all out in San Diego on a case and Pen hasn't picked up her phone. I guess she must be busy."

Kevin rubbed his eyes as he tried to remain alert. "Ohhh wow, I guess you don't know then. That's probably why she hasn't gotten back in touch with you. While on that case, Agent Morgan was critically injured after being shot in the chest. He is in a coma and they aren't sure he will make it."

Sam was jumping for joy inwardly, he couldn't be happier. That would solve all his problems with "The Derek Morgan" dead. "Geez, how terrible! Penelope must be beside herself. I am sure he will pull through he is very strong. Well Kevin, again I am sorry to wake you and thanks for all your help. Goodnight!"

Kevin responded back. "Yeah, no problem! Bye."

As Sam hung up, be began laughing hysterically and maniacally. He was practically floating on cloud nine as he prayed and hoped that her "Hot Stuff" best friend would die. Sam couldn't believe his luck, how perfect?

He got hit with a brilliant idea as he ran around his apartment and began to pack a bag for an unexpectant trip. He hoped he would get to watch his nemesis die while he was there to watch and possibly console his fiancée. He stopped what he was doing long enough to pull up another seldom used number. He hit send and continued to pack while he waited for someone to pick up the other end.

He developed an evil and devilish plan that he wanted to share. Finally, the person he called picked up the phone.

"Good morning, this is Dr. Hayes! How may I help you?"

"Good morning Savannah, this is Penelope's fiancé Sam. Do you remember me?"

Savannah smiled, but was confused as to why Sam would be calling her. "Of course, I remember you. How have you been? So, you and Penelope are getting married?" That shocked her, she knew that Derek was in love with her and thought that Penelope and Derek would be getting married.

Sam smiled and couldn't wait to give her the news. He hoped he could convince her to help him to keep Penelope away from Derek. "I have been well, thanks for asking. Yes, Pen and I will be married in a month."

Savannah still felt confused, but suddenly found herself full of hope and excitement. "Congratulations, Sam! I am thrilled for the both of you. Now, what's up?"

Sam smirked. "Do have a have a minute? I am sorry for the late-night call."

"It's fine, I was just getting myself some coffee, I happen to be working tonight."

"Ohh I see, glad I didn't wake you. I have some news for you about Derek. I also need your help with something that I am sure will benefit not only me, but you as well. We each should hopefully be able to get what we want and live happily ever after. Have I peaked, your interest at all?"

Savannah had a devilish grin on her face as she waited with baited breath to hear what Sam was going to say. "Ohh, you most definitely have! Do tell!"

Sam went on to give her the news that Derek was shot and might not survive. He encouraged her to not give up, that he was strong and would pull through. She did not take the news well at all and vowed to stand by her man no matter what. Sam decided to fill in his co-conspirator on his whole plan from beginning to end, which included what he'd already accomplished. By the end of the conversation, she was in total agreement and fully on board with his plan. After they hung up, he finished packing, made airline, hotel, and car rental reservations, and ran out the door to catch his plane. He couldn't wait to see Penelope and finish off his plan once-and-for-all. He was excited and completely giddy, he would win where others had failed. He was sure nothing could or would go wrong. Little did he know!

Meanwhile in San Diego, Penelope and Dave just re-entered Derek's room and everyone rushed over and surrounded them. JJ didn't waste any time and immediately went to Penelope and brought her in for a big and loving hug. Everyone else looked at Dave and he nodded his head and smiled.

Penelope pulled back from JJ with

a small sad smile on her face. She gazed around at her family and then turned to face Dave. He smiled at her and nodded to her as if to silently say it was alright to tell them.

She gathered up her courage as she took a couple of deep breaths. "Hey guys, I have somethings to tell you and would like it if you let me get it out all at once, okay? Any changes with Derek?"

She listened as she heard from the group "Yes" and "No problem" and she was grateful.

Fran chimed in as she took hold of Penelope's hand and guided her to the couch as everyone else took a seat. "No changes honey. Now, let's all sit down and talk."

After talking a seat, Penelope smiled and took in a huge intake of air. "Thanks guys! First off, I love you all very much, most especially my Hot Stuff!"

The group looked at one another, smiled and all exhaled in relief. Penelope gazed over to the man laying all too still, looking oh so vulnerable as she wished and prayed with all her heart that the love of her life would be able to forgive her.

Penelope put her focus back on her family and continued. "Secondly, I am sorry for running off, but I couldn't catch my breath and I needed some time to think. I need to be honest with you, I have been feeling funny the last couple of days. I've been suffering from dizziness, nausea, weakness and having migraine headaches. They all come and go at different times. I also have been experiencing flashbacks of different memories from the last few months. Dave helped me to finally put all the pieces together."

She looked at both JJ and Emily and smiled gratefully. "Thanks girlies for taking those pills away from me, it was just what I needed!"

They both smiled back at her and nodded. "Anytime!"

 **TBC**

 **PLZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: You guys rock, I love you all! I am thrilled you are enjoying my story. Have a great weekend and keep on reading! Lol!**

Penelope forged on as she started to fidget and bit down on her bottom lip. "You have to know I would never ever intentionally hurt Derek, I love him so much! He is my—"

Fran interrupted as she grabbed a hold of Penelope's hand for support. "We all know that honey, so does my Baby Boy. He loves you too, he really does! You mean everything to him. None of this is and I mean none of this, is your fault! This is all on Sam! So, whatever you do don't blame yourself!"

Penelope squeezed Fran's hand back and tried to hold back her tears. "Thanks Fran, but that ship has sailed. I should've fought Sam harder and I could've fought harder not to hurt that beautiful man over there! I shut Derek out and I was so mean and cold. I didn't have any control over myself and now I know why. He put me on those horrible drugs you were given, Bossman. "

Hotch stepped closer and knelt in front of her. "Listen to me Penelope, those drugs make someone do things they normally wouldn't do. Fran is right, please don't blame yourself you had no control over any of this. It was all the drugs and what Sam told you to do. You had nothing to do with this and Derek knows that, he was there when we got the results from the lab. Morgan loves you no matter what! Yeah, he was hurt, but he never gave up on you and will always tell you there is nothing to forgive. You know that to be true. "

Penelope put her head down and sadly nodded as the tears started to fall down her face, she couldn't hold them back any longer. "I know all of you are right, but I still hurt the person that matters most to me and who stole my heart all those years ago. I was so scared to tell him, I thought he would laugh at me and we would lose what we have. I knew I was not his type and knew he could do so much better than me. After all, I am just a fat geeky nerd and he has all that sexy chocolatey deliciousness. He is my best friend and I couldn't stand it, if I lost him completely!"

Fran jumped in. "Penelope, that is preposterous! My son loves you just the way you are! You are a beautiful loving and special young woman who captured his heart years ago, as well. I always knew and hoped you two would get together and give me many wonderful grandchildren."

Penelope picked up her head slightly and looked over at Fran. She managed a sheepish look on her face while she blushed and sniffled. "You did? What makes you say that? How could you possibly know?"

Fran grinned, chuckled and shook her head. "Of course, I did! Every time Baby Boy came home or I would speak with him you were all he could talk about. My Baby Girl did this or my Goddess said that! All that was ever on his mind was you, he was scared too! Do you realize, you were the only woman he ever brought home to his Momma? You are a wonderful and calming influence for my son and I have always adored you. He trusts you like he trusts no one else! You have always been there for him through everything. The only other one I ever met was Savannah and I couldn't really stand her. She was too fake and a phony!"

After listening to Fran her heart leapt a little bit at the thought of her best friend and that he may be in love with her and stared at her one true love. "I trust him too, with everything I have and am. I can't believe that he would always talk about me and that he never brought anyone else home to meet you. I mean he has gone out with so many women over the years and he has such a huge heart. Please God, let me have the chance to be honest and tell Derek how I feel. I can't have him die without having the chance to tell him I truly love him!"

Fran leaned over and hugged her. "Don't you dare give up on him! He will pull through this and will be driving us crazy in no time." Everyone couldn't resist a chuckle at that moment. "Listen sweetie, I know you know my son inside and out. I don't have to tell you that because of what happened to him when he was boy, he never trusted anybody. That all changed after he met you, you were a savior for Derek. You opened his heart and soul! Because of you he has a real chance of happiness! That man has known an array of different people over the years and never trusted any of them. Look around, the only people he ever trusted besides his sisters are all here in this room. That all happened after he met you honey! He loves you with everything he is or wants to be!"

Penelope held onto Fran's hand for dear life as she tried to pull the strength and love from her and the rest of her family. She took a deep breath and gave a little smile and reached for JJ's hand, as well. She took a long and good look around at everybody and realized she would never be alone. She had the best family anyone could ask for or want. All she saw and felt was a complete love and understanding from all of them.

Finally, she made a very important decision and wanted to share it. "My dear family, I love you all so very much! You guys are the best things in my life, just like my Angelfish! Thank you for your understanding, patience, support and love. It truly means the world to me. I don't know if I would survive in this trey weird and confusing world without any of you. I promise I will try and stop blaming myself for this horrible mess. I just hope Derek will understand and forgive my ignorance. I also promise, that when my Noir Hero wakes up I will be completely honest with him. I want to finally tell him I love him more than just as my best friend! I really do want to spend the rest of my life loving him and taking care of him!"

Emily piped up. "Finally! It's about damn time, PG!"

That brought about a chuckle from the group and huge smiles. Dave decided it was time to fill them on the rest of what Sam threatened her with.

Dave cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Guys, we have another problem I need to bring you up to speed on."

Hotch stood back up and looked at him questionably. "What's up, Dave? This definitely doesn't sound good at all."

"Ohh yeah, old friend of mine not good at all. It seems that while Sam was filling her mind with that garbage, he also made some threats as well. He threatened Kitten and told her pointblank, if she were to have anything more to do with Morgan he would have no problem killing him. I have no doubts that he meant it too!"

Spencer forcefully erupted out. "Over my dead body! He isn't going to be able to hurt my brother again!"

JJ quickly let go of Penelope's hand and swiftly stood up and threw her arm around Spencer's shoulder. "Calm down, Spence! No one is going to let that happen!"

Dave added in. "That's exactly what I told Kitten! We have the best bodyguards for the job right here in this room."

Hotch had his usual stoic look on his face when he replied. "Damn, right! I am also going to call and arrange for a protective detail for his room right away. Don't worry everyone, we will keep Derek safe, NO matter what!"

Fran gazed around at the special group of people in front of her, her family and was both scared and proud of the all of them. "Derek is going to be just fine, you wait and see! My son is one of the strongest and most stubborn men I know! We will help him through this and protect my Baby Boy and of course his Baby Girl."

Once Fran finished speaking both her and Penelope also stood up and everyone began hugging and encouraging them both.

When Penelope made her way over to Hotch she pulled him close and decided to ask him a very important question. "Bossman, I need to ask you a favor okay?"

"Anything Garcia!"

She smiled at him, swallowed hard and became a bit nervous at his answer. "When Derek wakes up and we get him home, I was wondering something. I am hoping that I can get a leave or work from home, because I want to be the one who helps him through his long recovery. Would that be okay? That is if he will have me and want me."

Hotch looked at her and one of his rare true smiles appeared on his face. "Of course, Garcia! That's a given, you will need some time off to complete your own recovery, as well. I am just glad that things are getting better and that we are all one family again."

Penelope smiled widely at him and gave him a huge hug. "You are the best, Charlie Brown! I love you, ya old softy!"

Hotch glanced around the room and quickly and quietly replied. "Shhh, don't tell anyone you will ruin my image."

They both began to chuckle and the group just shot them confused looks and then shrugged their shoulders.

Dave seized this opportunity to announce out. "Hey guys, why don't we all head downstairs to the cafeteria for some sorely needed coffee. I think we should give Kitten, some time alone with her Chocolate God."

At that, everyone laughed and nodded their heads in agreement.

As the bunch headed out the door Spencer called out. "Garcia, we will bring you back something in a little bit."

She grinned and winked at him. "Thanks, my favorite heap of gray matter!"

Spencer chuckled as he shook his head on his way out the door.

After their departure and the door closed, Penelope turned around and just stared at Derek laying still for the longest time. She couldn't take her eyes off him, he looked so helpless and frail just lying there in front of her. At the same time, she knew he was the strongest and kindest man she'd ever known.

The longer she stood there the angrier she got at Sam. _How dare he do that to me? How dare he make me turn away from the most precious thing in my life?_ She hated that she left herself so vulnerable to that pathetic excuse of a man. _How could I have been so foolish to trust him?_ She hated the thought that all the men that she ever trusted in her life managed to let her down. All except for the three men that just walked out of the room and most especially the man that was laying right in front of her, the love of her life. First, it was her four selfish and mean brothers who'd kicked her out of their lives after her parents were killed. Then there was Shane and his manipulations, then Kevin who'd turned his back on her by cheating on her and now this narcissistic bastard Sam who'd made her his robot and puppet. She mumbled to herself "Do I deserve any happiness?"

 **TBC**

 **PLZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Things are going to start to heat up again! I hope you continue to enjoy this Morcia story. Thanks again to all of you that have read and reviewed! I love you all and God Bless!**

She was instantly broken out of her reverie when one of the nurses walked into the room to check on Derek's machines and vital signs. Just as quickly as she came, she had left the room like a flash without saying a word, just a smile and a nod.

After the nurse exited the room she slowly and cautiously headed over closer to him. She reached his right side and carefully sat on the edge of his bed and tenderly picked up his hand and felt his warmth as she squeezed it firmly, but gently. She then eased her body down towards him and brushed her lips on his forehead and both cheeks as her tears started to cascade down her face.

She softly and lovingly caressed his cheeks as she peered at his handsome face and willed him to wake up. God how she loved him and everything about him, even his masculine and heavenly scent. She had so much to say and confess to him, she was inwardly screaming for him to survive and to open his sexy soulful obsidian eyes. She hovered over him for several minutes while she tried to gather her thoughts and collect herself.

When she finally found her courage, she began to bare her soul. "Handsome, it's me your Baby Girl! I'm here and I'm not going anywhere! I love you so much and I really need you to open your eyes for me! I have so much to tell you and I need you to hear me. I am so so sorry that I hurt you so badly! I hope someday you can forgive me? I didn't know what I was doing. Sam made me do all those things with those drugs, I would never willingly do those awful things to you. I need you here with me, so please don't give up and keep fighting. You are the strongest man I know! You have always been there for me, please let me return the same to you. I know I have been frightened, and oh so damn stubborn to admit my true feelings for you, but that's only because I was afraid of scaring you away and losing what we already had. I don't want to be afraid anymore! I want you to know that I have always loved you from day one, you captured my heart Hot Stuff when you called me Gomez!"

All the while she poured her heart out to him, she never stopped crying. She'd been continuously rubbing and massaging his hand and arm. She needed him to know that she was there with him. She prayed her touch would help him to wake up and talk to her.

"Please don't give up and come back to me, I need you so much my love. I don't know how to do any of this without you right by my side. I want and need you with me always! I want to grow old with you and have many babies with you, that is, if you will have me! You have given me so much of yourself, you have always protected me and I trust you like no other. You always have a fresh supply of hope, love and understanding. You have the kindest and sweetest heart of anyone I have ever known. You have this rough and gruff exterior, but on the inside, you are the biggest mush. I am so lucky to have met you, you make it all worthwhile and you will take my heart and life if you leave me now! Please, come back to me and I will fix everything I broke. You are the air I breathe, the nourishment I need to sustain myself and you will always be the only one that will ever own my heart! I love you now and forever, Baby Boy!"

After pouring her heart out and with all the happenings over the past few days, she was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. She prayed and hoped that her hero and best friend managed to hear her pleas on some deep level. She sat there for what seemed like hours and wouldn't take her eyes off him. A while later, she decided she needed to feel his warmth and comfort. So, as gently as she could she managed to cuddle next to him on his right side. She was careful not to disturb all the wires attached to him and avoided the area on his chest that he'd endured his surgery on. She laid there just listening to his heartbeat and never realized that she drifted off to sleep with her arm protectively and lovingly placed over his abdomen.

That is exactly how the rest of the family found them when they returned a while later. They all sported huge grins on their faces as they took in the scene in front of them. All of them were deliriously happy and relieved that Penelope appeared to be back to her normal self. They prayed that she wouldn't continue to be so hard on herself, for something that was beyond her control.

While they were down in the cafeteria, Hotch made a call to the local FBI office and requested two guards as part of a protection detail for Derek. It was imperative that he remained safe while he fought his battle to survive. They had no idea where Sam was and what he was capable of. He could hurt anyone that he perceived as an obstacle or a threat to achieve his ultimate goal, which was ensuring that Penelope was his. When the locals in Virginia arrived to serve their warrant for his arrest at both his job and place of residence he was nowhere to be found, which kept everyone on edge as they kept their guard up.

The group decided to leave Penelope just where she was. They knew she was exhausted and they let her rest for a bit. While she slept, they made their way over to the other side of the room and kept chatting amongst themselves as they continued their vigil for their son and brother.

For the next couple of hours Penelope slept as the others took turns dozing off and on. Everyone was completely exhausted, spent and worried about Derek. Penelope began to stir when Dr. Peters walked into the room. She was now completely awake as were all the others. The doctor asked the whole family to wait in the hall while he completed his exam on Derek. Penelope kissed and caressed his cheek, stood up and left the room with the others. When he was finished, he waved them all back in.

They all stepped back in and surrounded him as they nervously awaited his update.

Fran held Dave and Penelope's hands and rasped out. "How is doing? How's my stepson?"

"Well, under the circumstances I am quite pleased. He is still in critical condition, but with each passing hour his chances get better and better. Right now, his vital signs seem to be holding their own. In other words, he isn't any worse. He is an absolute fighter and a strong-willed young man. Still though, he has a long way to go to be out of the woods. Actually, I am quite amazed! I didn't think he would make it this far with the amount of damage he sustained."

The whole bunch let out a collective sigh as they looked around at each other and then Derek.

"Our son, doesn't know the meaning of giving up! He has struggled back from numerous things and he is not a quitter. He has too much to live for and has the best cheering section anyone could ask for. Love and strength will bring him back to us! You can count on that!"

Dave couldn't contain the huge smile on his face as his wife referred to Derek as "their son." He couldn't be happier or more proud to be considered Derek's dad. His stepson was a force to be reckoned with and when he loved, he loved with a whole heart and he was quite honored to have him as his "son."

"So far you are right! Keep talking to him and praying for God's divine intervention. I might suggest that you all go and get some rest, it's going to be a tough few days ahead, yet. I will be back later to check on him. If there are any changes or you need anything don't hesitate to ask the nurses. Goodnight!"

Dave spoke up quickly. "Doc, is it alright if we keep one or two of us with him at all times?"

"I don't see why not! Just don't interfere with the nurse's jobs. Night."

"Night doc. And, thank you for everything!"

After the doctor left, it was decided that they would all get some rest and head to the hotel. Dave managed to convince Fran to go with him and get some rest and a shower. Penelope was firm, she was not leaving the love of her life. They told her to get some more rest and they would be back in a few hours with a change of clothes and some food for her. She thanked them, hugged all of them and they headed on out for some terribly needed sleep leaving the agents to stand guard. Once her family was gone, she headed back over to her spot and laid down right next to her heart, kissed him and immediately fell asleep.

A couple of hours earlier, both Sam and Savannah met each other at the airport and together they headed to the hotel they would be staying at. They decided on a hotel extremely close to the hospital Derek was in. They checked in and firmed up the rest of their plans to make sure they went off without a hitch while they grabbed a bite to eat. The rest of the day was spent running errands and they each got settled into their perspective rooms. They both decided to turn in early and get some rest, because their plan would be put into motion starting tomorrow.

The team and Fran arrived back at the hospital around 11:00am after getting some rest and freshening up. As promised, they brought Penelope her go-bag and some food. By the time they made it into Derek's room, Penelope had been awake for about ten minutes. After getting permission to shower in the on-call room, she briefly left to freshen up. Upon her return, they all sat down to enjoy a very satisfying and early lunch with hero sandwiches, soda, coffee and all the fixings.

Shortly after they finished their meal, Dr. Peters arrived and asked them to step out while he completed his extensive exam. Thirty minutes later the doctor opened the door and signaled for everyone to return. Everyone quickly made it back into the room and anxiously waited for the latest news.

Penelope jumped right in. "How is my Hot Stuff?"

Dr. Peters cleared his throat and readied to speak. "To be perfectly honest, just the same. He isn't any better, but he isn't any worse either. I was hoping that his vital signs would've improved more by now. The good news is that he made it through the night!"

Penelope began to cry and made her way over to Derek's side. She stared down sadly at her Noir Hero, gently picked up his hand and began to caress it. She couldn't keep her eyes off him as she began to silently beg God to bring back Derek to her and have him open his eyes.

Spencer decided to ask a question. "Excuse me doctor, I was wondering when do you think about maybe discontinuing the medications keeping him in the coma?"

Dr. Peters took a deep breath. "Well, we really wouldn't be able to DC those meds until there is more of an improvement in his vitals and overall. I know it sounds very disturbing, but you need to remember he sustained a major trauma and it involved his heart functions. His body needs time to heal and I told you I am more optimistic now that he made it through the night. Originally, we didn't even think that was possible! He has already beaten the odds, by far. Just continue to pray and think positively."

Fran spoke up. "Is there anything else that can be done, doctor?"

"It's all up to him and God now. I also think the love of his family will most definitely help, too. So, keep talking to him they say it helps."

Dave stepped over to the doctor and shook his hand. "Thanks doc."

"You're quite welcome. I am sorry I couldn't give you more encouraging news. I will be back later."

As the doctor walked out the room Fran already started making her way to Penelope. Fran placed her hand on Penelope's shoulder and pulled her out of her thoughts. Penelope softly laid Derek's hand down, turned around and was immediately greeted by Fran's arms surrounding her as they pulled themselves into a hug. They both felt desolate and discouraged as they held and rocked each other.

The group looked over at them and each other. All of them felt the same way as they continued with their struggle to remain positive.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: God bless all of you that continue to read and review my story. You are all the best! I hope you drop by and let me know how I am doing. I find it very helpful and take your words to heart. Have a great day!**

Dave blurted out. "Hey, hey ladies none of that! He has come so far already and surprised everyone. We just need to remain strong for him and not give up the good fight. Derek is going to be fine, he is just resting and regaining his strength. And, in no time he will be driving us crazy trying to get out of here and back to work."

Penelope and Fran pulled apart slightly, wiped some of their tears away and everyone let out a small chuckle.

Hotch shook his head and clapped Dave on the shoulder. "You got that right, he has the patience of a gnat!"

Spencer, as usual, took everything literal and scrunched his forehead. "Uhhh Hotch, that is impossible. Gnat's aren't capable of patience or any other emotion."

Everyone broke out into laughter. JJ was beside herself. "Spennnnnccccce!"

Spencer looked completely perplexed. "What, what did I say? What's so funny?"

"Spence, you really don't know do you?"

"No, really I don't! Please tell me?"

"Spence, you take everything so literal! Hotch was teasing about Derek's patience or the lack thereof."

Spencer still looked confused, blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "Geez, sorry!"

Emily calmed down, shook her head, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's ok Reid, there is nothing to be sorry for. It's just you, being you."

Fran grabbed both of Penelope's hands and smiled. "You know Sweetie, Dave is sooo right! Derek is going to be fine! He won't stop fighting to come back to us! He will wake up soon and you two can finally get things right."

Penelope couldn't help a sheepish look and blushed. "You really think so, Fran?"

"I know so, my future daughter-in-law! You guys are magic and meant to be."

Penelope's cheeks became a brighter red and started to feel warm. "Magic! You know your son has told me that everything we do together is magic! I completely love my Hot Stuff with all my heart and soul! I just hope we can work past this."

Fran was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Trust me my daughter, that won't be a problem. My Baby Boy is head over heels in love with you and he will be thrilled when he wakes up to find out that you have your memories back!"

The two women hugged for a few minutes and again each took up their vigil on either side of Derek's bed. They both gave him a kiss on each cheek, sat down and both each held one of his hands.

The rest of the day dragged by almost in slow motion. Everyone took turns sitting bedside vigil and talking to him. The doctors and nurses came and went without there being much change in Derek's condition. Sometimes everyone also took their turns going in and out of the hospital to stretch their legs and to grab some fresh air. The only one that refused to leave his room was of course, Penelope. She refused to leave him, in case something happened she needed to be there. The only time she ever left his side was to use the ladies room and to take a shower.

By the time, 10:00pm rolled around everyone was exhausted and ready for some sleep. They ordered dinner from a local Chinese restaurant and Emily and Hotch ran out to pick it up. The doctor made his last rounds for the day at 9:00pm and left for the evening after he announced there was still no change in Derek's condition.

In the Embassy Suites® down the street, Sam and Savannah were being briefed on all the movements of the family from the private detective that Sam hired to follow all of them. He also informed them that there were two guards stationed outside of Derek's room twenty-four seven.

After the rest of the family left to head to the hotel, Penelope began to pace around Derek's room. She kept sneaking peeks at the only man who'd ever or will ever own her heart as she continued to pace. She couldn't shut her mind off, she was worried about the fact that Sam was somewhere out there and that her Hot Stuff was still in extreme danger. It was hard enough that Derek was still fighting for his life, but to throw in a dangerous and out of control Sam, it was a recipe for disaster. She knew there were guards right outside and they had the rest of their family of Superheroes nearby, but she still was extremely worried and scared.

She finally stopped her pacing after approximately forty-five minutes, exhausted in every way. She sadly made her way over to Derek's bedside and delicately sat down on the edge. She gazed down at his still and quiet form and a few tears began to well up in her eyes. Penelope gently picked up one his hands and held on for dear life. She squeezed and caressed it, she silently begged him to feel her strength and pull from it. She needed him and wanted him to wake up, and soon.

"Ohhh Handsome please, please wake up for me. I am completely lost without you by my side. I need you to hear me and forgive me. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You have always been there for me and the first man that has never let me down. This is killing me to watch you like this! I miss your big gorgeous smile, I miss your sexy twinkling eyes, I miss you holding me and I miss hearing you call me your Baby Girl. I also miss your beautiful, kind and loving heart and soul! I want us to be together forever, I can't imagine my life without you in it. I need you to wake up so I can tell you I am in love with you and I want to take care of you. You have done so much for me and now it is my turn, my Lovebug. You can't die on me without knowing the truth I have been hiding for years. You are my everything, always have been and always will be."

By now, she was sobbing and shaking with fear and utter despair. She wished she could just give him a kiss and he would wake up just like in the fairytales. Either that or she wanted to shake him awake. She was reaching her wits end and decided to turn to God!

Penelope hurriedly, but carefully stood up and walked over to the window and looked up at the full moon that was shining so bright amongst the stars. _"Dear God, I know I haven't always been as good as I should have been, but I have tried to change my life around. I have made some mistakes along the way and now know why I traveled the road I have. It has lead me here, to this point and time and the family and things I have surrounded myself with. I know you are all about forgiveness, so I hope the good things I have done have been enough to deserve your love and that you have forgiven me. I am still working on forgiving myself. I don't know if I have earned the right to ask a favor. However, I am going to ask anyway. I need you to please help Derek, please save him and keep him safe. Please allow him to wake up soon and be alright. I will in return, promise to you that I will be honest with him when he wakes up. I also promise to take good care of him and keep him safe in my heart. I also promise to you that I will do my best to live up to what you want me to do and what you want me to be. I swear I will do whatever it takes, please heal him, and allow him to come back to us! We all love him so much, he is wonderful man with a wonderful heart that has been through so much already. Thanks God, for taking the time to listen to me!"_

When she ended her prayer she slowly turned around, she took a deep breath and started her way back to Derek's bed. Hoping the whole way that God listened to her pleas and would bring him back to her soon. She laid down in the same spot and position she held earlier. She leaned over and placed loving kisses on his forehead and cheeks. She then carefully settled down, softly placed her head on the corner of his chest and let her arm lay across his abdomen. She laid there in silence as she listened to the different machines and his heartbeat. After a bit, she allowed herself drift off to sleep next to her Chocolate Adonis, her safe place.

Penelope managed to sleep the night through somewhat peacefully. She woke up just before 8:00am and looked up into the face of her Hot Stuff. Disappointed to see he was still unresponsive, she gave him a few quick kisses, told him she loved him and stepped out to use the ladies room. Upon her arrival back to his room, she was pleasantly surprised to see her family waiting for her.

Hugs and morning salutations were given all around by everyone. The girls had taken the time to pack up some more things for their bestie. They all knew that Derek's Baby Girl would not be leaving his side anytime soon. Penelope took her bag and headed to take a shower and change her clothes. Not long after she returned, Dr. Peters arrived for his morning rounds. Of course, he asked them to leave as usual so he could perform an extensive exam. The family decided to use this time to grab some breakfast in the hospital cafeteria. They left leaving the guards in their place, after the doctor promised he would meet them there to update all of them.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks to all my wonderful readers! You guys are the best and I love you all! Special shout out to my very good friend DaisyDay. Congrats on the upcoming wedding of your special son on Sunday! I wish them nothing, but love, joy and happiness for their future. Many blessings to your whole family! My love to you, my friend! Now, on with the show!**

Well, the day started early for Sam and Savannah after showering and getting dressed they met up and headed out for a quick breakfast. They found a nearby diner and once they finished their meals, they paid the bill and took off to the hospital. They were sitting in their rental car watching the entrance of the hospital when they observed the whole family arrive. Sam and Savannah went unnoticed as they parked the two SUV's, jumped out and headed inside. The plan for today was once everyone arrived Savannah would head inside and wait for the right time to make some trouble for the unsuspecting couple. Neither Sam or Savannah hadn't realized that Derek was still in a coma. Savannah got out of the car and watched as Sam headed out of the parking lot. The plan was for them to meet later at the hotel.

Upon her arrival to the SICU floor, she immediately tried to find cover. She smugly leered at the whole group as they made their way towards the elevators and watched as they all stepped in to it when it arrived. Once the doors closed, Savannah made her way down the hallway. She made a couple turns and suddenly found herself face-to-face with Derek's two guards. She smiled as she nonchalantly walked by them while she glanced in the windows of his room. She noticed a doctor and a nurse in with the man of her dreams. She absolutely would be back later and went to find out where the others went to. She searched throughout the hospital and finally found them all in the cafeteria drinking coffee and talking.

Savannah grabbed herself a cup of coffee as well and found a seat across the room so as not to be seen. Fifteen minutes passed by, when she recognized the doctor she saw with Derek walk over to the family's table and took a seat with them. She wished that she could hear what the doctor was saying, but she couldn't take the chance of being seen before they were supposed to see her.

Penelope piped up with hope in her voice for some good news. "How's my Hot Stuff doing today?"

Dr. Peters took a sip of his coffee as he looked around the table at all the hopeful faces. "Well, I have a little good news for all of you. Agent Morgan's vital signs have started to stabilize and improve a little bit. His color has started to come back and his latest blood tests show that his levels are starting to level out after the huge amount of blood loss he experienced."

JJ jumped right in. "So, what are you saying, doc?"

"What I am trying to tell you, is that amazingly there is improvement, but we are not out of the woods yet. He still has a way to go, but it's a start!"

Fran smiled with a few unshed tears in her eyes. "Thank God! My Baby Boy is going to make it, I just know it! I can feel it with all my heart!"

Dave pulled his wife into his arms and hugged her as JJ did the same thing with Penelope. Everybody looked around at each other with small smiles and felt completely hopeful for the first time since this nightmare began.

Spencer seized the opportunity to ask the next question. "Dr. Peters, have you thought anymore about taking him off the medications that are keeping him in the coma?"

Dr. Peters knew this question was coming and was prepared to answer it. "As I explained before it all depends on his condition. Right now, things are in a tenuous position. If he continues to improve at the rate he is, then it is possible I can take him off them in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. He has to stabilize more and don't forget we are keeping a close eye on his cardiac status."

Fran looked over to the doctor still filled with hope. "We understand doctor, we are just anxious for Derek to wake up. He is extremely important to all of us! We all love my son! I can't and won't lose him, too!"

Dr. Peters looked at her questionably. "I understand, Mrs. Rossi. What do you mean lose him, too?"

Fran suddenly became sad. "Ohhh, I lost my first husband, Derek's father the same way when Derek was ten years old. Hank died in the line of duty, he was a Chicago police officer."

He laid his coffee cup down without removing his eyes from hers. "I am deeply sorry for your loss. Rest assured, we are doing everything for your son. That is why we are not going to rush to take him off the meds. We need him to remain stable and to be able to breathe on his own. Just keep praying, stay positive, keep talking to him and be patient. I am cautiously optimistic and I will go out on a limb here by saying I think he will survive, just on sheer determination and strength alone."

Penelope perked up with his words echoing in her ears and her heart. "Really doc, you really think that? Hot Stuff is going to be alright?"

He smiled and nodded his head. "He is definitely headed in that direction. With this wonderful family surrounding him, I definitely see a good outcome."

The whole group let out their breaths not realizing they hadn't taken a breath in a long while. The news the doctor just shared with them filled them all with a great amount of hope.

The doctor stood and excused himself. "Well everyone, I must complete my rounds and take off. I will be by Agent Morgan's room this afternoon for another exam. I will see all of you later. Try not to worry so much and if you need anything please don't hesitate to have me paged or ask the nursing staff for their assistance. Bye for now."

The group nodded, gave their thanks and waved goodbye. They sat there for a few minutes finishing their coffee and chatting amongst themselves. They felt a little relief and were excited that Derek would hopefully be awake within the next day or two. Their spirits were higher right now and Penelope felt as if her prayers were being answered from the night before. Everyone gulped down the last of their coffee and headed back upstairs to see Derek. They didn't want him left alone for any reason. There was still no word on Sam or his whereabouts.

An hour passed and they were all gathered around Derek's bedside chattering a mile a minute. They were filling him in on everything and anything. JJ and Hotch talked to him about his nephews Henry and Jack. When they found out that Uncle Derek was hurt they wanted to come see him. After they were promised they could see him when he came home that seem to satisfy them. They wanted to make sure that their parents told him they loved him and made them promise to give Uncle Derek hugs and kisses.

During this time, Penelope laid down in her usual spot right next to him on the bed, snuggled up to him and continuously caressed his abdomen, his arm and hand. Hotch's cell phone went off, he excused himself and stepped out into the hallway. He returned a few minutes later not looking happy.

Dave noticed Hotch's mood and walked over to him. "What's wrong Aaron? Who was that? What has you so upset?"

Everybody stared at him and waited for him to respond. Hotch grumbled out. "It was Cruz, and you would not believe what he wanted!"

The group's eyes all went wide and Emily spat out. "Uh oh, what the hell did he want?"

Hotch took a deep breath, swallowed hard, crossed his chest with his arms and harshly answered. "Trust me, nothing good! First, they wanted all of us back in Quantico right away along with the jet!"

The whole room lit up with outrage, indignation and shock all at once.

Penelope slightly sat up and screeched out. "What in the hell, we will not! Doesn't he realize that Derek is still in critical condition and not even awake yet? No way, no how! I swear they are outrageous and dreaming if they think that will happen! Right, Bossman?"

"No worries, Garcia! That is not going to happen and I told him that, in no uncertain terms. I told him that if he wanted to suspend me for disobeying an order that I would have no problem with that. We are not going anywhere until we at least know if Derek is going to be fine. Not to mention, that we still are providing security for you and Derek."

Penelope calmed down and relaxed back into Derek. "Thanks, Hotch! You are the best! I just can't believe that they could be so cold?"

Dave blurted out. "That's not all Aaron, is it? What else is there?"

Hotch glanced around the room knowing that his next announcement wouldn't be handled any better than his first one. "The search for Sam has led right to our backyard. They found out he arrived in San Diego yesterday, but have not picked up his trail yet."

Everyone gasped out in unison. This meant that things just got worse and that Sam knew he was being hunted.

Fran managed to rasp out. "Ohh my, that's not good. He is going to find us and go after Derek, isn't he?"

Hotch looked at her grimly. "Yes, unfortunately he will on both counts. Don't you worry though, we will keep your son safe! I promise, we won't let him get near enough to do anything to Derek. I have ordered extra guards and we will all take turns staying with you, Derek and Penelope."

Dave put his arms around his wife. "You can count on that, Bella! We will all keep you safe. Please, stay calm and everything will be okay! That goes for you too, Kitten! We have the element of surprise on our side. He doesn't know, we know that he is here and we can use that to our advantage."

Before anything else could be said the door to the room suddenly flew open. Everyone's attention and eyes immediately were drawn to the person that stepped in and stood at the end of Derek's bed. They couldn't believe what and who they were seeing.

Penelope slowly, but carefully sat up and growled in shock and frustration. "Savannah, what the hell are you doing here? You have no place here."

Savannah smirked as she placed her hands on her hips. "Well, well lookey here it's the tramp! I beg to differ, that is my man you are lying next to! Aren't you supposed to engaged to Simple Sam? Get away from Derek, he is mine not yours!"

Penelope stood up and made her way over to Savannah. The team also moved so they were surrounding her and in arms distance of Penelope.

Penelope frowned and became extremely angry and agitated. "You are delusional, Savannah! Derek gave you the boot months ago! He wants nothing to do with you. How did you even find out we were here? Again, why are you even here at all? My Hot Stuff does not love you or want you. NOW, GET OUT AND STAY OUT!"

Savannah stood her ground and continued to smirk while she continued enjoying herself taunting Penelope. "Hmmph, I am not going anywhere until I get to see and talk with my Derbear! I came because that man is the love of my life. It doesn't matter how I found out, I just did! Listen here whore, you have your own man. Now, leave mine alone! You get out I've got this covered!"

Penelope snarled out. "The hell you do! Leave us alone! You can't talk to him, are you stupid or something Dr. Hayes? Derek is in a coma and is unable to talk to anyone, let alone his ex! The only people allowed around him are his family the ones who really love him."

Dave clapped and stepped closer to Savannah. "Here, here Kitten! You tell her! Get out Savannah you are not welcome here now or ever! He doesn't love you and we don't need troublemakers around here!"

Penelope smirked as she looked around at her family. She felt good defending and standing up for her Noir Hero.

Fran walked over in front of Savannah and began to wave her finger in her face. "Ms. Hayes, you need to leave now we don't want or need your kind here. I hate to be blunt, but Derek really didn't love you! He loves Penelope always has and always will. Now, please leave us alone!"

Savannah was furious and wouldn't hold back anymore and screeched out. "Shut up old woman, you have no idea what you are talking about! My name is Dr. Hayes not Ms., you are just as clueless as that fat pig whore over there. I'm not going-"

Dave had had enough and roared. "ENOUGH! How dare you talk to my wife and my daughter like that! If you don't leave now, I will have you taken out of here and thrown out on your skanky butt! Do you hear—"

Suddenly everyone's attention was directed at Derek when his monitors began to go off! There were alarms going off from all different directions. The door flew open again and many nurses and doctors came rushing in.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey guys, I hope this finds everyone healthy and happy. I am excited! I am headed to Florida on Thursday for three wonderful weeks! Yayyyy! No worries, I will be taking my laptop and will continue to update and write. Thank you to all that has read and reviewed. You guys are the best and I love ya! Keep letting me know how you are enjoying my tale. Catch ya poolside with a wine cooler in hand! Hehehe!**

Dr. Peters was the last one to enter and hurriedly made his way to Derek's side. As he pushed his way through the group he barked out orders. "Get them out of here, NOW! I need to have room to work. I will update them when I can. Someone please, check his vitals in the meantime."

Penelope screamed. "I am not leaving him! Oh My God, what's happening?"

Dr. Peters looked up and glared at her. "Ms. Garcia, I need you out of here. You are only in the way. I can't help him if I am dealing with you! NOW GO!"

Hotch grabbed her arm and started to guide her out. "It's ok Garcia, let him do his job! He will talk to us soon. Come with us!"

By this time, Penelope was hysterical and sobbing. The staff heard her all the way down the hall. "It's not okay! It's not okay! He can't die he just can't!"

JJ took over for Hotch and wrapped her arms around Penelope as they all headed to the waiting room. "Shhh Garcie, it's going to be okay. Derek is going to be fine."

Hotch walked over to the two guards protecting Derek's room. "See that woman over there?"

They both nodded vigorously and answered in unison. "Yes, sir."

He adamantly gave them an order. "She is not allowed in Agent Morgan's room under any circumstances! Do I make myself clear?"

He received two "Yes, sirs!" After which, two more agents made their way over to the three off them.

Hotch looked at the two newcomers. "Are you also here for Agent Morgan's protective detail?"

"Yes, sir."

I want you both to take positions at either ends of the hallway! That woman is not allowed anywhere near this room. As a matter fact, I don't even want her in this hospital! One of you come with me and escort her out of the building!"

All four nodded and one walked directly over to Hotch. Both men headed down the hallway to the waiting room. When they arrived, the girls were all in tears and the men were trying to comfort them.

Hotch immediately stepped over to Savannah who was being held onto by Spencer and glared at her. "Dr. Hayes, you need to leave now or else!"

Savannah stood there defiantly with her hands on her hips. "Or else what? What are you going to do? I am not going anywhere!"

Dave walked over and joined Hotch. "Ohh, you are definitely going! If you don't leave on your own accord, I will have you forcibly removed by this agent and have you arrested. "

"Arrested, for what? You can't arrest me, I didn't do anything wrong!" she asked indignantly with a know-it-all smirk on her face.

"OHHH, yes I can and I will! Trespassing, breach of peace, menacing and stalking just for starters. Now, will you walk out like a lady under her own steam or shall I place you in cuffs and drag you out?"

Savannah thought about it for a moment and decided to leave for the time being. "Fine, I will go for now! But, trust me you haven't heard the last of this or me."

As she turned to leave, Hotch cleared his throat and spoke. "Good choice, Dr. Hayes. This agent will see you out and make sure you don't come back. We will be watching for you. If you come back, make no mistake you will be arrested on sight no questions asked!"

She stomped away with the agent in tow. "Yeah, yeah whatever!"

Once she was gone, the men turned around and focused on all the ladies. Everyone was extremely worried about Derek. They had no idea what was going on or what happened. All anyone of them could do was pray and wait.

Penelope and Fran approached Hotch. "Thanks, Bossman for getting her out of our hair."

Hotch replied. "Anytime ladies, anytime! She didn't have any right showing up and talking to you like that. I am however, curious as to how she knew where we were and how she found out about Derek?"

The same questions were nagging at Dave as well as the others. He stood there contemplating for the longest time. He had his own suspicions and couldn't let them go.

Hotch stood there watching him very intently and knew that something was on his best friend's mind. "Alright Dave, out with it. I know that look."

Dave looked over at Hotch. "I can't hide anything from you, old friend. Can I? I was having those same thoughts as you. Kitten, how well does Sam know Savannah?"

Penelope looked confused. "Well, a little bit we all went on a few double dates a few months back. Why? Do you think they are working together in this?"

Hotch crossed his arms across his chest as Dave shot him a look and wondered aloud. "So, they do know each other! Hmmm, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't in cahoots together. I find it curious that she shows up here at the same that we find out that Sam is in the area. I don't believe in coincidences Aaron, but I believe in facts and clues."

Spencer jumped in. "I think you're right Rossi. I would say that there is 97.0238 percent chance that they are in this together."

Dave chuckled. "Thanks, kid! I knew I could count on you. What do you think is happening with our boy?"

Spencer began to fidget and stared down at the floor as he shuffled his feet. "I'm afraid to admit that I don't know and I wouldn't want to guess. I hope he is okay, I can't lose my brother!"

Penelope pulled him into a huge hug. "Awww Boy Wonder, you won't lose your brother and I won't lose my Hot Stuff, not now not ever."

She didn't know who she was trying to convince more, herself or him. She let go of him and began to pace the room. She was so tempted to run down to his room right then, and there. She knew that wouldn't help anything though. She kept trying to convince herself to stay out of the way of the doctors and that her prince would be fine.

Everyone continued to fret and worry about Derek along with trying to figure out how Sam and Savannah were involved and what their plan might be. Time dragged by slowly as they all anxiously awaited news on Derek.

Savannah made it back to the hotel and met up with Sam. She filled him on everything that transpired. She included what happened to Derek at the end and that he was still in a coma. She also told him about almost being arrested and that she's been banned not only from his room, but the hospital as well. She informed him of all four guards, two guards at his door and that there would be two at either ends of the hallway.

After much discussion, it was decided they both would lay low for a couple of days. They figured it would allow them time to calm down and possibly catch them off guard. Then Sam would put the final parts of his plan into action.

Sam was flipping mad and out of his mind, he now knew that he no longer controlled Penelope. All his hard work and great laid plans were out the window. He couldn't figure out what went wrong. As far as he was concerned, his plan was perfect and completely foolproof. _Arghh!_ He yelled out in his mind. _Damn it, what in the hell happened!_ He made a fist as hewalked over and slammed it into wall and let out a huge primal scream.

Meanwhile, almost an hour passed by slowly for the very nervous and upset family. They couldn't fathom what was going on and why nobody was coming out to give them an update on Derek's condition. It was just killing them all inside.

Another thirty minutes dragged by until they all caught sight of Dr. Peters as he made his way over to them. They quickly jumped up and surrounded the doctor while they all held their breaths.

Even though Penelope was afraid of the answer she immediately blurted out. "How's Derek? Is he okay?"

Dr. Peters slowly exhaled as he readied himself to speak. "You were all in there, when Agent Morgan's alarms started. What happened before that? What was going on?"

The group all looked at him with confused expressions on their faces. Spencer decided to answer him. "There was an argument going on, because his ex-girlfriend showed up and refused to leave peaceably. There was a lot of yelling and emotions were flying high because she was verbally attacking Garcia and Fran. Is Morgan okay? What happened?"

Dr. Peters stood there, pondered a bit and rubbed the back of his neck before he answered. "Now I understand, it all makes sense now. Well, it took quite a while, but we were finally able to stabilize his vital signs."

Fran huffed as she got impatient and interrupted the doctor. "What makes sense now? What is going on with my son?"

The doctor sensed the tension in her voice. "Try and remain calm Mrs. Rossi and let me explain. Your son was reacting to the raised voices and must have sensed that you were all upset. They say that people in comas can sense and hear certain things."

Penelope was excited. "Does that mean that my Hot Stuff is awake?"

Everyone held their breaths in anticipation of his answer. There was a bit of hope that flooded over all of them. _Could it be true?_

"No, unfortunately he is still not awake. He is still in his medically induced coma, but it is a very encouraging sign. At this point, I have decided to stop the medications that are keeping him in his coma. He is obviously somewhat cognizant of what is happening around him."

Fran jumped in. "Do you think he is strong enough for that? Will you be keeping him on the ventilator? How long until he wakes up?"

Dr. Peters gave a small smile. "Yes, I think he is strong enough, or I wouldn't even entertain the idea. He has proven that he won't give up and that he is quite the fighter. He will remain on the ventilator at least until he is conscious and I think he can handle being off it. I stopped the medications already, it could take anywhere from six to twenty-four hours for him to wake up."

For the first time in two days, the family finally found that there was some light at the end of a very long tunnel. They hoped that Derek would soon be awake and well on his way to recovery. They all took in some deep breaths and couldn't wait for him to wake up and be back amongst them.

They were all physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. There were so many things that happened in the last forty-eight hours. Between Derek getting shot and so close to death and Penelope finally being able to remember her true life again. Everything was definitely taking a toll on them. Not to mention, the appearance of Savannah and the disappearance of Sam left them all reeling.

Everybody thanked the doctor for all his help and attention with Derek's case. They were extremely appreciative. The doctor said his goodbyes after he told them they could go back into Derek's room to be with him. After he left the whole shell-shocked group in the waiting room, they pretty much collapsed into each other's arms. They were both exhausted and feeling a bit relieved. They managed to pull themselves together and quickly made their way back to Derek's room.

They all crowded around his bed and immediately started chattering non-stop. While everyone spoke, both Penelope and Fran made their way to opposite sides of him. They each grasped one of his hands, leaned down and gave him a few kisses. The group kept encouraging him to wake up and come back to them.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello from sunny Florida! So far, I am having a blast with my crazy sister Hehe! I have enjoyed the pool and the wine coolers! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and for still enjoying my story! FYI, this is the half way point of this story. Still lots more to go! Special shout out to ddgorgeous for providing us with the 100** **th** **review for my story! Woohoo!**

 **Now, on with the show…**

A few hours passed by and everyone was extremely hungry. The decision was made that they would all head over to the diner across the street and grab a bite to eat. As per the norm, Penelope refused to leave Derek's side and they promised to bring her back some food. So, the family feeling comfortable leaving Penelope there with the four guards, set off for the diner.

While they were gone, Penelope gently and carefully curled up next to her Noir Hero in the same way she'd been doing the last two days. She was filled with so much hope that Derek would soon be awake. But, she was also afraid that when he did he would not be able to forgive her. She was also petrified that Sam would make good on his threats to kill her best friend.

As she continued to lay next to him, her thoughts turned to Savannah. She thought how dare she show up here, he didn't love Savannah. She continued to ponder as she came up with the conclusion, that Sam was the person to fill her in on what happened to Derek. She couldn't believe the nerve of Savannah to come around and say all those horrible things to her and Fran. No wonder Derek reacted to the whole melee.

Penelope turned her head so she could stare up into his handsome face. "Ohhh Hot Stuff, I wish you would wake up soon. I really miss your voice, your sexy eyes and you calling me Baby Girl. I need to be honest with you and tell you my true feelings. I really hope that you can forgive someday. I didn't mean to hurt you or betray you. I really need to tell you I love you with all my heart and soul! I am so tired of trying to fool you and me! I can't live without you in my life, you are the most important person in my life. I trust you more than I have ever trusted anyone before, please don't leave me or give up on me!"

She was feeling completely alone and lost as tears flowed down her face. She desperately needed him to wake up. She didn't want his last memories of her to be how she treated him so badly and turned her back on him. She would never be able to live with that or forgive herself. While her mind was going a mile a minute she caressed his tummy and arms. She kept staring at him the whole time, but before she realized it, she drifted off to sleep.

Once the clan finished their meal and grabbed something for Penelope they headed back to the hospital. When they arrived, they found Penelope curled up next to Derek fast asleep. They all smiled at them both and decided to let her sleep and figured she could eat when she woke up.

The family stood there and debated whether they would leave for a few hours to get some sleep or stick around, because they wanted to be there when he woke up.

Penelope ended up sleeping for another two hours, but it was a fitful sleep. She was having a nightmare as her mind brought her back to the horrible times that Sam kept telling her she did not love Derek and would not be able to have anything to do with him anymore. Also, she kept hearing him say that Derek would never want someone like her. Her mind also showed her that he not only gave her those drugs, but she saw that he had hypnotized her as well.

Penelope started screaming. "NOOOOOO, NOOOOOO! I hate you, please don't!"

Everyone jumped up and ran in her direction. Fran was the first one to reach her just as she bolted straight up and screeched out one final time. "NOOOOOOO!"

Fran wrapped Penelope in her arms to try and comfort her. Penelope was hyperventilating and sobbing all the while trying to catch her breath. "Shhh, it's okay honey, you're safe! Try and calm down."

All their hearts went out to their girl, she was in so much pain. They felt powerless and useless in their efforts to try and help her. They knew she wouldn't be alright until she had a chance to talk to Derek and find out that he still loved her with all his heart.

Several long minutes dragged by until Penelope calmed herself down to where she could speak. She looked around at her family with saddest look on her face.

"Kitten, what is it? What were you dreaming about?"

Penelope hiccupped and swallowed hard. "It was awful, I could see Sam filling my head with all that shit. He was telling me how I didn't love my Hot Stuff and to stay away from Derek. He also kept telling me that Derek would never want or love someone like me."

Fran jumped in. "Ohhh honey, that is so not true! My baby boy loves you with all his heart! That never changed throughout this whole ordeal. I promise you, he will always love you!"

Penelope took hold of Fran's hand with a small sad smile on her face. "I hope you're right Fran, I really do. I want that more than anything! OMG, I just remembered something else from my nightmare!"

While Penelope paused to take a deep breath, JJ spoke up. "What Garcie? What did you remember?"

"I saw him he, he, he hypnotized me along with those drugs. He forced me to forget the real me and my true feelings for my Angelfish. I never thought I could hate someone, but I hate that vile slug!"

Spencer was incredulous. "Garcia, you actually remembered him hypnotizing you? That is quite surprising, only 13.994% of people can remember being hypnotized. I'm impressed that you were able to bring that out in your dreams."

"Thanks, Boy Wonder! There won't be any lasting repercussions, will there?"

Spencer smiled and walked over to hug her. "No Garcia, there won't be any lasting effects. You should be completely free of his hold now!"

Penelope smiled and returned the hug and thanked him again.

"Kitten, you feeling better? We have some food here for you. You must be starving by now."

Penelope let go of Spencer, smiled, giggled and rubbed her tummy. "I feel a little better now, my Italian Stallion! Honestly, I am famished, what did you guys bring me anyway?"

Fran grasped her hand and guided her over to the couch as Dave replied. "Well we got you some vegetable soup and a shrimp salad with fries."

"Mmmm, sounds delicious! Thanks guys."

"No problem, PG."

While she ate her dinner, she explained more of her nightmare to them. They also discussed and debated about going back to the hotel for a few hours of sleep or not. No one wanted to miss when Derek woke up. After much hemming and hawing, it was decided that they would head to the hotel for showers and some needed sleep. To no one's surprise, Penelope would not budge about coming back with them. She absolutely refused and asked them to bring back a change of clothes for her. Penelope explained to them she already let him down once and refused to do it again. She also knew deep down, if the roles were reversed, her hero would never leave her side. He proved that on many occasions over the years, but most especially when she almost died after being shot by Battle. She promised them if anything changed with Derek she would immediately call them to come back.

About an hour or so later the family decided it was time to head for bed. Everyone hugged and said their goodnights to both Derek and Penelope. On their way out, Hotch and Dave checked in with the night shift guards making sure they all had pictures of Sam and Savannah and reminded them to be extra vigilant.

Penelope quickly went to the ladies' room before climbing into bed with the only man she ever truly loved. She spent the next while talking to him as she hoped he would wake up and open his eyes. She tried to stay awake, she didn't want to miss anything, but she lost that battle in short time and fell fast asleep curled up against her hero and champion.

The next morning arrived as did the team and Fran. Penelope was just waking up as they entered the room. She sat up and Fran walked over and gave her a huge hug. She leaned down, kissed Derek's cheek and told him that she loved him.

Fran smiled as she said, "Good morning, honey! Did you get some sleep? How is my boy doing?"

"Morning Momma Fran, I did manage to sleep most of the night. However, still no change in our Baby Boy! Did you guys get some sleep, too?"

Fran replied, "I'm glad you got some sleep, but you still look exhausted. We did manage to get some, too. We brought you some clothes and picked up some breakfast and coffee. Are you hungry? No worries about Derek, he'll wake up in no time, you'll see! I promise!"

Penelope forced a small smile. "I hope you are right, Fran. Thanks for the clothes, after we eat I will go take a shower and change. I definitely could use some of that coffee, right nowwww!"

"I know I am right sweetie, he will be fine and then in no time he will complaining and driving us crazy again!"

The whole group chuckled and shook their heads in agreement.

"You got that right, Bella! You know he can't sit still, he's like a Mexican jumping bean."

"No worries husband of mine, between Penelope and I we will make sure he gets plenty of rest and gives his body time to heal. Won't we honey?"

"You know it Fran, we'll keep him in line. That's if he forgives me and lets me help him."

JJ looked over at Penelope, placed her hand on her hip and jutted it out. "Garcie, stop that! That man lying in that bed over there loves you until the day he dies, which will not be for many many years! I can guarantee you that he will tell you there is nothing to forgive. Derek would do anything to ensure your happiness."

Penelope grinned. "Thanks Sunshine! From your lips to God's ears."

Spencer looked forlornly over at Derek. "I hope he will be alright? I can't lose him, too! You know it's funny, I really miss hearing him call me Pretty Boy!"

JJ smiled and hugged him. "Awww, Spence you won't lose him, none of us will. Before you know it, he will be busting your chops and pranking on you again."

"Thanks JJ, that means the world to me."

The family all sat down, enjoyed their breakfast as they drank their coffee. All the while, they chatted and decided to tease Spencer about all the statistics he was rattling off. They were all well aware that when he spouted off his statistics that it meant he was nervous and stressed about something.

Just as they were finishing breakfast Dr. Peters walked in to check on his patient. Everyone exchanged pleasantries and shook hands. He asked if there were any changes in Derek at all. They all sighed as they relayed there were no changes at all.

As he usually did, Dr. Peters asked everyone to step out of the room while he performed an extensive examination. Penelope decided to use this time to take a quick shower and change her clothes. She leaned over Derek, showered his face and hand with butterfly kisses. She then told him she would be right back.

Thirty-five minutes later the doctor met them in the waiting room including Penelope who arrived ten minutes, prior. He informed him there was still no change and that he could wake up anytime now. He encouraged them to keep talking to him to bring him out of his unresponsive state. Before he left, he told them he would be back later to check on him again.

The next several hours dragged by with still no change. Everyone took turns talking to him and praying to God that he would return to them. Penelope was in her favorite spot to keep vigil which was curled up right next to him. Throughout most of the day everybody took turns dozing off.

It was nearly 8:00pm when the family's dinner was delivered and they all enjoyed a family meal together. No one was going anywhere until Derek came back to them. After dinner, Penelope took her usual spot next to Derek and hadn't realized she drifted off to sleep.

A couple of hours later Penelope was dreaming a sweet dream. She dreamt that she and Derek were walking hand in hand along a beach as they followed behind four beautiful mocha colored children. They were laughing and smiling and were having a blast. Suddenly, Penelope was jerked awake when she thought she felt someone's fingers running through her hair.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I hope this update finds you all well and happy. Thanks to all of you that have read and reviewed. Welcome to my new readers, so glad to have you onboard. You know who you are. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. I love all of you!**

 **Now, without further ado! Onnnn with the show….**

Just before she startled awake, Derek's eyes popped open and he began to look around. The first thing he noticed was his goddess sleeping next to him with her head on his uninjured side of his chest. His eyes lit up at seeing her curled up next to him and his heart rate sped up slightly with the beautiful sight that was before him. His heart leapt with joy and apprehension at the same time.

A noise to his left caught his attention and he turned his head slightly, but stopped when a pain shot through his chest and shoulder and he tried to readjust himself. At the same time, Fran glanced over and saw that her son's eyes were open and he winced in pain.

Fran's face lit up and she sported a huge grin as tears began rolling down her face. She felt nothing, but relief and joy in her heart as she sprang to her feet and rushed to his side. "Ohhh, Baby Boy you are awake! Thank god, we thought we lost you! I love you, my son!"

He just laid still staring at her with happiness and worry in his eyes. As she leaned over and kissed his cheek the rest of the family reacted and ran over to surround his bed. Everyone was ecstatic and showed their relief by grinning from ear-to-ear.

Dave chortled out. "Damn kid, we thought you were gonna turn into Rip Van Winkle! Welcome back son, you scared us all half to death. Don't you ever do that to us again!"

Derek tried to smile around the tube that was still in place. He took his hand and brought it up and Fran immediately grasped it tightly. His expressive eyebrows shot up questionably and in confusion as he glanced down at his still sleeping princess.

Spencer blurted out. "Welcome back big brother, we missed you! Many changes happened while you've been sleeping. Garcia has not left your side."

Derek quickly trained his eyes down to stare at the love of his life. He slowly and carefully took his free hand and began running his fingers through Penelope's soft and silky blond curls. That is when she was startled awake.

As Penelope tried to shake off her sleep she looked up to see everyone crowded around Derek's bed. She laid there a bit confused and half asleep while he continued to run his fingers through her hair. "What's going on guys?"

JJ exclaimed loudly. "Garcie, Derek's awake! Look, he's awake!"

Penelope jerked her head off his chest and looked up into his obsidian soulful eyes and immediately the waterfall of tears began to flow down her cheeks. As she caressed his cheek gently she rushed out. "Awww Hot Stuff, you came back! I knew you wouldn't give up! Thank you, God! Thank you for answering our prayers. I know you just woke up and we have lots to talk about, but for now just know I missed you and I love you! Please forgive me!"

Emily chimed in. "Guys, I am going to get the doctor and let them know he is awake! I love you, bro!"

Emily hurriedly made her way out of the room and headed down the hallway to the nurse's station.

While Penelope sat up completely, Derek quickly grasped her hand and held on for dear life. She looked down at him and grinned. "I am not going anywhere Handsome, I promise! I am just sitting up and stretching out a little bit."

After hearing her say that, Derek seemed to relax and still would not let go of the soul owner of his heart. As he laid there he thought to himself. _Did she just tell me she loved me? What kind of love? Is she crazy?_ _There is nothing to forgive, it wasn't her fault he knew that._ He completely missed his best friend and favorite girl for the last few months. She seemed to be back to her old self and he was feeling extremely grateful. He couldn't wait to get this tube out and tell his Baby Girl how much he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. He was broken out of his reverie when both Emily and the doctor entered the room.

Everyone took a step back and made room for the doctor to walk over and stand right next to the side of Derek's bed. The only one who didn't move a muscle was Penelope because Derek was not letting go of her hand, he tightened his grip even more. She took her free hand and softly ran her fingers up and down his arm as she felt him tense up.

Dr. Peters looked down at his conscious patient and smiled. "Well Agent Morgan, nice to see you awake. Welcome back to the land of the living! How long ago did he wake up?"

Everybody chuckled and Spencer stepped up closer. "Hi, doc he has been awake now for exactly eleven minutes and fifty-one seconds."

Everyone laughed and shook their heads including the doctor. Dr. Peters looked around at the group and jerked his thumb towards Reid. "Is he always like that?"

In complete unison. "Yessss!"

Dr. Peters turned his attention back to Derek as he chuckled. "Agent Morgan, I have a few questions for you, alright? I will need you to blink once for yes and twice for no. Do you understand me Agent?"

Derek blinked once for yes.

"Now, do you know who everyone is here?"

Derek tried to smile and blinked once.

"Are you finding it hard to take a deep breath?"

Derek tried and felt a lot of pain in his chest and blinked once.

The doctor shook his head and asked one final question. "Are you in a lot of pain Agent and be honest?"

Derek again blinked once.

"Alright, here is the deal. Since you are in so much pain and are having some difficulty while trying to breathe, I am going to get you something for pain. Which will make you sleepy and I am going to wait until tomorrow morning to try and remove you from the ventilator. "

Derek blinked twice over and over. He wanted the tube out he needed to be able to talk to his girl and tell her how much he loved her.

"Calm down Agent Morgan! I need you to take it easy. You went through quite a trauma and almost died a few times. One of the bullets nicked your heart and caused a puncture in one of your lungs. To be honest, we weren't sure if you would make it or not. You will have a long and difficult recovery ahead of you. You have stitches in many different areas in your chest. One wrong move or major stress to your chest could possibly pull some of them out. We don't want that happening, so again as I stated, we will try and remove the ventilator tomorrow. I just want to see how you are doing then, okay?"

Derek looked over at his heart as he squeezed her hand even tighter again. After he thought about it for a minute, he admitted to himself that he was a bit scared and apprehensive. He stared into her beautiful eyes looking for guidance and strength.

Penelope caressed his cheek and smiled. "It's gonna be fine, my love. We are all here for you, you aren't alone in this. We will have plenty of time to talk later when you get a little better. Let the doctor do what he thinks is right, we all trust him! You need to trust him Handsome, he saved your life! Deep down you know he is right, please don't fight him. I promise I am not leaving you, I will be here every step of the way."

Derek blinked once and she leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. He then looked at the doctor and blinked one more time.

"Thank you, Agent Morgan, for placing your trust in me. Now, I will send in a nurse to give you the meds for your pain and I will see you in the morning. I also suggest the rest of you head back to the hotel for some rest. You can't do anymore tonight and besides he should sleep through the whole night. Goodnight everyone. "

The whole group nodded their heads and said their goodnights to him and he left the room.

After he left, everyone had a chance to go over and talk with Derek. The girls all gave him gentle hugs and kisses and the guys shook his hand except for Dave who showed his Italian side and kissed both of Derek's cheeks. Everyone told him how much they all loved him, missed him and that they couldn't wait for him to go home and get better soon.

They also used the time to discuss whether they should leave and get some rest, or stay the night in the hospital with Derek and Penelope. In the end, after much convincing by everyone, Fran decided she would accompany the rest of the family sans Penelope back to the hotel for some, much needed rest.

The nurse entered Derek's room, greeted everyone, checked his vitals and administered his pain meds through his IV. "That should start working soon Agent Morgan, if you need anything else just let me know. I am Vanessa and will be your nurse tonight. This medication should keep you asleep for most of the night."

Penelope looked over to the nurse and grinned. "Thanks Vanessa, don't worry he will be a good boy. Won't you Hot Stuff?"

As the family chuckled, Derek tried to smile and blinked once. He knew better than to upset his girl. He'd seen her mad at him before and knew he would never win. Nope, he resigned himself to the fact that he would absolutely have to be a good boy.

Penelope giggled as she leaned down to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Chocolate Drop! Your learning."

He brought his hand up and shook his finger at her as if to say don't push it. She read his mind and stuck her tongue out at him. The whole room erupted into laughter even Vanessa chuckled and shook her head as she left the room.

Fran couldn't help herself as she continued to grin. "Now, now Baby Boy you just mind your Baby Girl while we are gone. Otherwise, you will answer not only to her, but your Momma as well! We are going to head out now and will see you both in the morning! Both of you get some rest and we all love you!"

As she leaned down to kiss Derek on the forehead Penelope replied. "Thanks Momma Fran, we love you all too! You guys get some rest and we will see you all soon."

Everyone quickly said their goodnights, which were all accompanied by hugs and kisses as they all left for the hotel and sleep.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Yayyyy! Derek is finally awake and I know everyone is thrilled and relieved. I know I am, I didn't think he would ever wake up! Hehe! Anyway, thanks to all of you that have read, reviewed, followed and favorited this story. You guys rock and I love you!**

Once everyone was gone the medication quickly started to take effect on Derek. He could barely keep his eyes open. He tried so hard to fight it because he wanted to stay awake with his gorgeous goddess a bit longer.

Penelope began to caress his cheek softly and slowly while she grinned at him. "Sugar Shack, don't fight the medicine you need your rest. I promise I will be here if you need me and I will be the first thing you will see in the morning. Everything's going to be fine, I promise we will have plenty of time to talk about everything! Just know I am sorry for hurting you and I hope someday you will be able to forgive me!"

He squeezed her free hand tightly as he started to relax and allowed himself to drift off sleep. He felt her kiss his cheek one last time. His last thoughts to himself were that he loved that woman with all his heart and needed her to know that there was still nothing to forgive.

Penelope continued to caress his cheek tenderly as she lovingly gazed down at his handsome face. She was thrilled beyond words that God listened to her prayers and allowed her Noir Hero to be able to return to her. She had been petrified that she might not have the chance to make everything up to him, to explain everything to him and most importantly apologize to him for her despicable treatment to her best friend and the love of her life. She was finding it hard to forgive herself and hope that he wouldn't turn his back on her. She couldn't stand it if she completely lost him, he was her whole world and wanted a chance to tell him that. She needed to prove to him that he could trust her not to turn her back on him again. She knew that it was now the time to be completely honest with him. She'd been a fool all these years not owning up to and admitting her love to him. She needed to know once and for all, if he could love her as much as she loved him. Even with all her insecurities and quirks combined. She hoped and prayed that he would.

Once she knew for certain he was fast asleep she quietly and gently got up off the bed and walked over to the window. She stared out into the dark sky and looked up at all the majestic stars and began to speak softly. _"Hi God, it's me Penelope Garcia again. I just wanted to pop over and thank you with all my heart for bringing my Hot Stuff back to me and his family. We all really love him and need him in our lives. He is very special man, he has the best heart of anyone I have ever known and would do anything for anyone he loves without a second thought. He has always been there for me whenever I needed anything. He was there when I got shot, he never left my side and protected me with everything he had until I was safe and always thereafter. God, I need you to know I will keep my word and tell him everything as soon as I can. I don't want to let you or myself and most especially, Derek down. I have already hurt him so badly and I promise I will never do that again. Even if that means by telling him my true feelings and if he doesn't feel the same way I will take it gracefully and let him go! I won't push him into something he doesn't want. It would crush me, but I will just have to accept it and pray he will still be my best friend. Thank you for sparing him and know that he will always be surrounded by love. Goodnight, sir."_

Penelope stood there for a few more minutes just staring at the night sky as she continued to contemplate her life or lack thereof if her true love rejected her. She persevered as she hoped and prayed that he loved her too.

She finally turned around and padded back to Derek's bedside and watched him as he slept. She felt comforted by the fact that she could she his chest rise and fall. Also, his color was continuing to get better he was no longer looking ashen and gray. She slightly giggled when she saw him move his hand around in his sleep as if he was searching for her presence. So, she leaned down, rubbed his cheek gently with her thumb and placed a chaste kiss to his cheek. As soon as she did those things he immediately relaxed and his hand stopped moving, he appeared content.

She grinned as she witnessed the effect she obviously possessed over him. She softly and carefully climbed back into bed and got comfortable. She threw a blanket over herself and lovingly placed her arm around his waist, kissed his chest and relaxed herself. Just as she was drifting off to sleep she felt him move while he wrapped his bad arm around her the best he could. She started to feel safe and loved again even if it was only in his sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day and she would finally have all her answers.

Somehow, everyone managed to get some of the sleep that they needed even though they were all both anxious and relieved that hopefully Derek would be disconnected from the ventilator today. His family made their way back to the hospital after stopping to get some breakfast and coffee to bring with them. They all walked into a wonderful sight of the hopefully soon-to-be new couple wrapped in each other's arm fast asleep.

They all crowded around his bed quietly, Fran leaned down and placed a kiss on her son's forehead. As soon as he felt that, he began to stir and his eyes fluttered open. First thing he tried to do was smile around his tube at his family and then immediately his eyes shot down to make sure the love of his life was still right by his side. There she was, the most beautiful woman he had ever known just like she promised. He was so relieved and excited to see her he slowly moved his hand up to her hair and began running his fingers through it. He still experienced pain in his arm and shoulder even with that little movement. He didn't care though, he just fought off the pain and remained determined to keep his connection to the woman of his dreams.

As he continued his movements everybody was softly talking and smiling as they wished him a good morning.

Fran grinned as she spoke to her son. "Good morning, Baby Boy! I hope you slept well. I love you, honey!"

When she finished speaking he looked at her, blinked once and leaned into her hand that she lovingly cupped his cheek with. He reveled in his mother's comforting warm touch. At that same moment, Penelope felt Derek's strong hand and arm on her head. She woke up and opened her eyes with a joyful and dazzling smile on her face.

She looked around at her family and her gaze immediately was drawn to her Chocolate Adonis and she giggled. "Good morning, Handsome! Good morning my fine furry family! I hope everyone got some good sleep. Did you sleep okay, my love?"

Derek blinked once and again tried to smile. He then pointed at her as if to ask if she slept well.

Penelope winked at him. "I slept really well, my Prince! After all, I was right next to my favorite guy all night long."

He reached over slowly, caressed her cheek with his hand and he couldn't stop staring at her. They both couldn't stop themselves from gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.

They were both broken out of the trance when Dave spoke up. "Has the doctor been by yet?"

Penelope shook her head and replied. "No not yet, but hopefully soon."

"Well, ok then! Kitten, we stopped off to pick up some breakfast and coffee would you like some?"

Penelope grinned and giggled as she started to carefully sit up, she didn't want to cause Derek any pain. "Yessss, coffee! I will absolutely take some of that! Come to think of it I am starving, so food would be great too. Thanks guys, you are the best!"

It didn't take long to pass out the food, which was a good thing. They figured out they were all starving and gobbled everything up quickly. As they ate, everyone started to fill Derek in on how he got shot and that he somehow managed to take down the unsub before he went unconscious. Spencer apologized profusely to Derek over and over, he felt horrible that he wasn't there in time to back him up. That fact was killing Spencer this whole time, the guilt was eating him alive. Derek waved his little brother over and after he approached him, Derek grabbed Spencer's hand and squeezed it tightly. Derek tried to smile and winked at him. Derek followed that up by pointing to his eye, pointing to his heart and finally pointing to Reid. He was trying to convince him that it was fine and that it was not his fault. Spencer looked down at their hands with a sheepish look on his face and was grateful.

JJ walked over to Spencer after Derek released his hand and quickly pulled him into hug. "Ohhh Spence, no one blames you especially not Derek! You did the best that you could, you helped to save him. Without you there and your quick thinking, he most likely would have died. Because of you he is alive and here with us today! Please do not blame yourself, I know Derek doesn't. Right big brother?"

They looked over at Derek and watched as he tried to smile again and blinked once.

Hotch jumped in. "Hear, Hear JJ! Nicely put and she is one-hundred percent right! You did a great job!"

Spencer looked at everyone as they nodded their heads in agreement. "Thanks guys, I am just glad it all worked out." He turned to look at Derek, smiled and remarked. "I love you too, Morgan!"

Emily couldn't help herself and chuckled. "Yeah Reid, you saved us all a huge headache! You kept us from having to break in a newbie and all that extra paperwork that goes with it."

The whole group burst out into a fit of laughter while Derek tried not to laugh because hurt too much. All he could do was roll his eyes and shake his finger at Emily.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEWED**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Just popping in to say hey and thank you all for reading and all your great reviews. You guys are still the best and completely rock! Am still down in sunny Fla. trying to have a good time. Most days have been great, but a few days ago my friend lost her 19 year-old son to an act of senseless violence! I just ask that you keep them all in your prayers. No parent should have to bury their child, ever! Cherish your family and friends always, remember tomorrow is not guaranteed! God bless all of you!**

The whole family was still hysterically laughing when Dr. Peters walked into the room.

The laughter died down when Dr. Peters spoke up. "Well, sounds like I missed the party, you guys sound like you are having a blast. Glad to see that everyone is in such good spirits this morning."

Penelope piped up. "We are doc, we are! They were just teasing our junior G-man over there and my Chocolate God of Thunder. The best part is that our favorite guy is back with us!"

Dr. Peters shook his head and chuckled. "Well, I will say one thing about all of you, you certainly have a plethora of nicknames for each other."

Fran decided to reply to that one. "They certainly do doctor and you ain't seen nothing yet! I bet if you stick around long enough you might even gain one, too!"

The doctor stepped over to Derek. "Well, let's see how my patient is doing. Good morning Agent Morgan. I have some questions for you and we shall see about taking that tube out. So, please be honest okay?"

Derek instinctively grabbed a hold of Penelope's hand, squeezed it and blinked once.

"Did you get some good sleep last night?"

Derek blinked once.

"Are you feeling a little better this morning?"

Derek blinked once.

"Are you still experiencing some pain while trying take a deep breath?"

Derek blinked once.

"On your pain overall, besides the breathing please give it a rating. One meaning not much at all and ten meaning the worst pain in your life."

Derek thought about it for a minute and held up seven fingers.

"Thank you for your honesty. Now, I must explain to you again that because of the amount of trauma you incurred and the amount of stitches we used we need to be extremely careful. When you are first removed from the vent your bodies first reaction will be to cough a lot. This will put a lot of strain on your chest and lungs. Therein, lies the danger in popping stitches and creating havoc in those areas. So, we are faced with two options right now."

Fran interrupted the doctor. "What are they, doctor? Are they dangerous to my son?"

"Well, Mrs. Rossi the first option is to leave him on the ventilator for a few more days until his body has more time to recover. That also leaves him more vulnerable to developing pneumonia, which as you know can be dangerous."

Derek was having none of that, he wanted this tube out and ASAP! He needed to be able to talk with his girl and tell her everything he needed to say. He was blinking "no" nonstop.

"The second option is to administer a moderate amount of pain medication prior to the removal in the hopes that it would not only help with the pain, but to hopefully calm down some of the coughing. This option is obviously more dangerous at this point in time."

The whole family shot looks at each other and then at Derek and Penelope. This was going be a tough decision. The room was suddenly quiet for a few minutes as everyone weighed both options carefully.

Penelope finally squeaked out while looking at Derek. "Jinkies, it all doesn't sound good! This could be bad either way, I'm scared!"

Derek squeezed her hand even tighter as his eyes begged to be taken off the ventilator.

The doctor replied. "You're right Penelope, but you all have to be in total agreement."

Fran walked over to her son, kissed his forehead while she grabbed his other hand and held on for dear life before she announced her decision. "As much as I want to make this decision, I can't. This is not our decision to make, it needs to be yours Derek! It's your life, your body and your decision."

The whole group knew she was right, it was his decision and no one else's. They nodded their heads in agreement, albeit reluctantly.

"Bella, your right it is his decision. Son, whatever you decide we will support you one-hundred percent. So, is it going to be option one or option two?"

No doubt about it, he was a little scared either way, but he knew what he wanted and needed to do! He took one last look at his family and without hesitation he held up two fingers. The final decision was made.

Dr. Peters looked at him and asked. "Option number two, are you positive?"

He squeezed Penelope's hand once more as he stared into her beautiful scared blue eyes. He then turned his attention back to the doctor and blinked once.

"Well, alrighty it will be option two and the removal of the tube. This is how it's going to work. I will ask all of you to leave the room for about an hour. First, I will do a complete exam on Agent Morgan, then I will administer the pain meds and give that a little of time to settle in and settle you down. Then I will take you off the machine. If anything starts to go badly, I will place you right back on, is that all understood? No exceptions to any of this, that includes Ms. Garcia will also have to step out of the room! Understood?"

Derek reluctantly blinked once.

"Alright then, I have to step out for about five minutes while I gather everything I need including a couple of nurses. All of you give your well wishes and hugs and then you can skedaddle when I return. See you all in a few."

At that he left, everyone started giving him hugs, kisses and good luck's. They told him to remain positive and that everything would work out fine, even though they were completely scared. During this time, Penelope decided she would head to the showers and freshen up and change clothes to keep her mind occupied. Everyone told him they loved him and left the room to give Derek and Penelope a minute to themselves.

They held each other's hand practically in a death grip. Neither one wanted to let go and tried to hide their fears. As Penelope leaned down to kiss him, the doctor and two nurses walked in. She gave him several butterfly kisses to both cheeks and his forehead. She whispered in his ear. "You are going to be fine, Handsome! I will be back soon enough, I promise! I love you Hot Stuff, always!"

When she sat back up, they each noticed a few tears running down both their cheeks. He slowly raised his hand and gently wiped her tears away with his thumb. He then pointed to himself, then his heart and then pointed at her. He wanted to let her know that he loved her with all his heart. She sat there quietly and perfectly still and temporarily had no words. _OMG,_ d _id he just tell her that he loved her too? Does he mean it the way she means it?_ She couldn't wait to talk to him later.

The doctor cleared his throat and she hurriedly stood up. She cupped his face in both her hands and gave him one final kiss as close as she could get to his mouth.

She straightened up and walked to the door. She turned around for one last look, he winked at her and she blew him a kiss. She grabbed her things that were sitting next to the door and began to walk out.

She looked at the doctor and quietly said. "Please take good care of my special and sexy sculpted God for me. Please don't let anything bad happen to him."

"I promise I will do my best!"

At that, she was gone from Derek's sight. She ran down the hallway to the locker room and bathroom to freshen up. When she reached there she leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor in a crumpled heap and brought her knees up to her chest. She stayed in that position with her head down on her knees and sobbed uncontrollably for a long while before finding the strength to stand up and take her shower.

Once she freshened up and pulled herself together she left the locker room and headed to the waiting room to be with her family. When she entered the room, you could hear a pin drop, it was deathly quiet. Fran was being held and rocked by Dave while he silently repeated the rosary. JJ's arm was wrapped around Spencer's arm while her head rested on his chest. Penelope could see that Spencer had a few tears that managed to escape down his cheek. Hotch and Emily were deep in thought as they held hands.

Dave was the first one to notice Penelope. "Hey Kitten, you okay over there?"

Penelope nodded her head as she tried to smile and failed miserably. "Yeah, I'm fine. Any word yet?"

The whole group sadly shook their heads no. Penelope began furiously pacing and wringing her hands together. She kept praying that the man who'd stolen her heart years ago, would be okay. She was terrified that something horrible was going on. She looked at the clock and saw that it had been over an hour now. She didn't like that it was taking so long. The doctor should have already been out here by now to give them an update. She was besides herself with worry and inwardly started freaking out!

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and stopped dead in her tracks. She was afraid to turn around thinking it was the doctor with bad news. Penelope took a deep breath, turned around and sighed with relief when she saw who it was. Hotch was really worried about her and decided to make his way over to where she was. After she turned to face him he opened his arms and she practically fell into him.

With her head buried in his chest she cried out. "It's taking too long, something is wrong I can feel it. Dear God, please let him be okay!"

Even though Hotch was having his doubts and was extremely nervous too, he tried to calm her down. "It's going to be okay Pen, you'll see! Derek is going to be just fine. The doctor will be out here any minute and then we will get to see him for ourselves, I promise!"

Penelope nodded her head and continued to cry into his shirt as he rocked her. "Honey, Hotch is right my Baby Boy will be fine! He is strong and tough and will fight through this I have no doubts. Keep positive and keep praying!"

Penelope picked her head up and sniffled as she turned to face Fran. "Thanks Fran, I know he is strong. I am just scared and I need him to be okay so can tell him everything, I need to know if he can forgive me!"

Fran immediately pulled out of Dave's arms, jumped out of her seat and rushed over to Penelope. "Honey, I promise you have no worries there, there is nothing to forgive! Trust me, he knows none of this was your fault! This is all on that pig Sam, you did absolutely nothing wrong!"

Penelope with a sheepish look on her face leaned in and gave Fran a huge hug. "Thanks Momma Fran, I will try and remember that. I just need to see your wonderful son and know that he is okay! I really do love my —"

Penelope was cutoff when Dr. Peters walked into the room and cleared his throat. Everyone swiftly reacted and surrounded him in a flash. Fran and Penelope held onto each other's hand like their life depended on what he was going to say. Penelope began shaking and felt weak in the knees and didn't realize that she was holding her breath.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I just wanted to drop by and give all of you many thanks for all the great reviews I have received, thus far. Thank you for reading, favoriting and following this story! It warms my heart and love to you all!**

 **A/N 2: To my guest reviewer (Madasiaka) thank you for your review! I would have sent a reply, but I can't because of the guest status. Just need a favor, I am not sure what fic you are referring to? Can you please send me a PM or another review and refresh my memory? Thanks, it would mean a great deal, boo! And, lastly you are quite welcome and I hope to hear from you soon.**

Fran blurted out. "Doctor, how is our boy? Is he okay?"

Dr. Peters looked around at all the anxious and hopeful faces as he took a deep breath. "Right now, he is resting comfortably."

Everybody let out a collective sigh and all the doctor heard was a chorus of "Thank God!" Penelope could breathe again and still held onto Fran waiting to hear the rest of what the doctor was going to say.

The doctor continued with his report. "It took a bit longer than I anticipated. We gave him the pain medicine and it kept him calm at first. When I removed the tube, however, that immediately began his coughing. We placed a pillow on his chest to try and minimize some of the pain. I need to be honest, he was in so much pain that I was tempted to replace the tube. He begged me not to and reluctantly I agreed. We did have to administer even more medicine to calm him down. We also, took x-rays and they showed his inner stitches were still intact. He did however, pop three stitches on his outer chest. We replaced them and now he is asleep."

Penelope squeaked out. "Is he out of danger? Will he be okay?"

By now, Fran decided to place her arms around Penelope. "As far as the danger, the next twenty-four hours will be the most telling. If he can remain calm and we keep him somewhat medicated I think he will be just fine. Just keep in mind there is still a long way to go yet. We need to keep him calm and not really allow him to talk too much. Do you all think we can pull that off?"

The family chuckled out and Dave spoke first. "Yeah right, you don't know our boy that well! He is one of the most stubborn and pig-headed men I have ever known. You tell him he can't do something and he will do it just out of spite to prove you wrong."

Fran grinned. "Sooo true, my dear husband so true! He will definitely give us a run for our money, but you can't help but love him."

Spencer shook his head as he continued to chuckle. "I couldn't have said it any better, Fran. Maybe, we can tape my brother's mouth shut!"

Everyone including the doctor broke out into a fit of laughter. "Reallllly Spence, fat chance of that!"

Penelope couldn't help, but giggle. "Hey, hey stop picking on my Chocolate God of Thunder! No fair, he is not here to stick up for himself! Can we go see him now, pleeeeassse?"

Dr. Peters finally stopped laughing at their antics and smiled. "You sure can, but please just let him continue to sleep. He really needs it and needs to stay calm and as still as possible. Remember try to keep his talking to a minimum, if you can. The last thing I want to tell you is that we will pretty much keep him sedated over the next twenty-four hours. It's for his own good."

"Thank you doctor for all you have done for our son!"

"You are quite welcome, if you need anything please don't hesitate to let us know. I will be back later to check in on him. Have a good day."

He shook hands with Hotch, Dave and Spencer and made his way down the hall to the nurse's station.

Before heading to Derek's room, they all gave each other hugs of relief, collected themselves and headed back to see the patient.

As they entered his room Penelope and Fran were the first one's in. They each made a beeline for both sides of his bed. They both lovingly looked down into his handsome and peacefully sleeping face. They each took their turn and kissed him lightly on the forehead so as not to wake him. The rest of the family gathered around his bed and couldn't help, but smile. They were all relieved that he was finally off the ventilator and breathing on his own.

As Penelope stood there and stared down at the sole owner of her heart she knew she needed to come clean about everything and soon. She hoped and prayed that his love for her was the same as the love she felt for him. She was tired of hiding behind all their banter and flirting, she wanted, no she needed something more with her Noir Hero. She wanted a life with him, she wanted to be his wife and have his babies. She wouldn't settle for second best anymore. She finally realized that he would be the only one that could make her happy. She always compared all the men she ever met or dated to the sweetest and the most extraordinary man she ever knew. His heart was huge, he was always her protector and cherished her in the most special ways every single day.

She was so deep in thought she hadn't realized that JJ was trying to get her attention for the last couple of minutes. She finally broke out her reverie when JJ placed her hand on her shoulder. Penelope was a bit startled by her friend.

JJ looked at her with concern and whispered out. "You alright, Garcie? I have been trying to talk to you. Where were you?"

Penelope smiled and quietly responded. "I'm sorry Buttercup, I am just fine. I was just thinking and didn't hear you."

"Alright girlie, spill it!"

Penelope sighed and glanced back down at her prince. "I was just thinking what a great and special man Derek is! I really need to tell him everything and soon. I am so lucky to have him in my life and I want to be able to show him how much he means to me. I want to take care of him for the rest of my life."

Emily jumped in, chuckled and whispered. "Ooooo, girl you have it bad, don't ya?"

That caught the attention of everyone in the room and after she glanced around at her family she ended up blushing a deep red crimson.

JJ flashed a huge grin on her face. "Oooooo, you do! You go girlie!"

Penelope leaned down and gave her hero another quick peck on his cheek this time. When she straightened up she took a huge intake of air. "I cannot tell a lie, yes I have it bad for my handsome Hot Chocolate!"

"I love you too, Baby Girl!"

Everyone was completely shocked and caught off guard as they immediately turned their attention to the grinning face of their boy.

Penelope eyes quickly filled with happy tears as she blushed and grasped his hand squeezing it tight. "Ohhh Hot Stuff, welcome back! We're so happy to see you and hear you. Are you in pain?"

Derek looked around at his wonderful family and felt utterly grateful to see all of them and rasped out. "Definitely! It's cool though, that just means I am still here with my family. I love you all!"

He then grabbed his chest and the pillow as he started to cough. Penelope released his hand and quickly grabbed his cup of water and placed the straw in his mouth and he took a few sips and started to calm down.

Fran leaned over and placed a small kiss to his lips and smiled with tears in her eyes. "Easy Baby Boy, easy! The doctor gave us strict instructions you are to keep your talking to the bare minimum and you are not to move too much because of your stitches. Don't make me pull the Momma card on you! I love you so much!"

Derek tried to chuckle, but stopped himself when he felt more pain and nodded his head in agreement. "I love you too, Momma! I promise I will be good!"

Hotch spoke up with his oh so usual stoic look, on his face as he winker at him. "You better be good, because not only will she use the momma card, but I will pull rank on you as your unit chief!"

Dave guffawed. "Nice one Aaron, you tell him!"

Everyone broke out in laughter at all the antics. Derek rasped out in pain. "Stop, please stop, it hurts too much to laugh!"

Spencer couldn't help himself. "Awww, big brother sorry about that. Just remember payback is a bitch!"

The family all looked at him in shock. Not only was he teasing Derek in his state, but he actually cursed.

Derek whined. "Maaaa, he is picking on your injured baby boy!"

JJ jumped in. "Now boys, behave or I will ground you both!"

Again, everybody went hysterical except for Spencer and Derek, they just fake pouted.

"Awww Sugar Shack, it's okay you will be able to laugh soon enough! No worries, you will have plenty of time to think of how to get even!"

Derek grinned and winked at his Goddess. "True dat, silly girl!"

She placed one hand on his cheek and with her other one she grasped his hand and they intertwined their fingers. She leaned down and placed a few chaste kisses on his lips. Before she could stand back up he slowly took his free hand and cupped her cheek and gently rubbed his thumb up and down her cheek. She didn't move for a couple of minutes relishing in his touch and the feelings it was invoking in her. She inched her face closer to his and they shared a short, but loving kiss as she shot her tongue into his mouth and they savored in each other's taste and warmth. She pulled back and they gazed into one another's eyes with total joy and contentment.

"To be continued handsome, when you get better!"

"Count on it, Sweetness!"

After she stood back up they both looked around and noticed that the whole group's eyes were all over them.

They all then looked at each other, grinned and in unison declared. "FINALLY!"

Derek and Penelope displayed sheepish looks on both of their faces and squeezed each other's hand.

Derek tried to deflect the conversation he wasn't ready to tackle yet. "So, tell me what's been going on since I got shot?"

Dave took on a serious look. "That can wait until you get a bit stronger, son. We will fill you in on everything soon. Just lay there and rest as per doctor's orders."

"But, but —"

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Well, my peeps I am back from my vacation. I am not a happy camper, tho! It went by way too fast and I don't wanna go back later today. Ugh, sixteen hours right off the bat! Did I ever leave? Lol!**

 **Anywho, thank you to all that have read, reviewed, followed and favorited my story. It's all definitely appreciated and warms my heart. Thanks also to my guest reviewers. I would answer you back, but of course I can't. You are appreciated though! Love to all of you. Now, onnnn with the show….**

It was at that moment the doctor and the nurse walked in. While the nurse checked his vitals and bandages Dr. Peters began to speak. "Well Agent Morgan, I see you are awake. How do you feel? How is pain now on a scale of one to ten?"

Derek rasped out. "Hey doc, please call me Derek. I'm okay just visiting with my family."

"Okay, Derek it is! You know your family has not left your side since you were brought in. Now tell me about your pain."

Derek squeezed his girl's hand even tighter. "I do have the best family, don't I? My pain is anywhere between a six to a seven."

The doctor nodded to the nurse and she picked up the syringe and cleaned off the port to his IV and before Derek knew it she shot the medication in. "Thank you again for your honesty. Anything else I can help you with for now, Derek?"

Derek frowned as he felt the medicine already starting to work. "I am a bit hungry. Can I get something soon? What did you just give me, doc?"

Dr. Peters knew he wouldn't be thrilled, but it was necessary for his healing and he sighed. "Well, it's more pain medication as well as part sedative. You absolutely need your rest and not put any unnecessary strain on your chest. We will keep you pretty much sedated for the next twenty-four hours, it's vital for your condition. As far as food, the next time you wake up we will give you some broth, Jell-O® and maybe some toast, we have to take it slowly."

Derek was not a happy camper, at all and whined. "But doc, I just woke up! I want to spend some more time with my family! I hate this, I don't want to go back to sleep yet and I'm hungry!"

"Hot Stuff, stop arguing with the doctor! It's the best thing for you! I promise we will still be here when you wake up. Now, be a good boy for your Baby Girl!"

They chuckled at the way Penelope handled him and watched as he settled down. He was quickly losing the battle as he continued to fight sleep. He grumbled for a few seconds and then mumbled out before sleep overtook him. "I love you, beautiful!"

She grinned, leaned down and placed a few butterfly kisses to his cheeks and lips. She then whispered in his ear. "I love you too, Angelfish!" a big grin appeared across his face after hearing her declaration and then the room was filled with his soft snores.

"Well done, Kitten! He never could say no to you!"

Everybody chuckled and both the doctor and the nurse exited the room with the promise to check on him later.

Emily piped up. "Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I am starving after all this activity."

JJ rubbed her stomach. "Yum, I definitely could eat! I am dying for a burger and some curly fries."

The group including Penelope all went. "Yummm!"

"You know me, I am not much of meat eater except for chicken, but that sounds dee-lish! Can we have pickles, too?"

The family chuckled and shook their heads. All of them were so grateful and thrilled that their girl seemed to be completely back to her old self and that Derek was definitely on the road to good health.

"Absolutely PG, you can have as many pickles as you want! How about Hotch and I go and grab our lunch from the diner, this way we can all eat together and be here when Derek wakes up again."

Hotch chimed in. "Sounds like a great idea, Em! Count me in and let's get going!"

They left and on the way out checked with the agents that were still guarding Derek and asked if they were interested in some burgers. All four of them readily accepted their offer. Once that was settled, Hotch and Emily took off for the food.

Meanwhile, down the road a bit, both Sam and Savannah were pacing in Sam's hotel room. They were climbing the walls and dying to know the condition of Derek. They knew he was being heavily guarded and surrounded by his annoying BAU team. They wanted to move ahead with their plans, or should the truth be told Sam's plans. He knew that Savannah was only part of this, because she wanted to get Derek back and get rid of her nemesis Penelope.

He inwardly laughed at the thought of the clueless idiot that was in cahoots with him. His plan hinged on her naivete and her creating a temporary diversion so he could complete his diabolical scheme. He wanted both Savannah and Derek, dead, dead, dead. Taking Penelope, making her his own property and killing his foe would be the highlights of his miserable life.

"Savannah, we need to put everything into motion. You need to put on your best disguise and get your way into Morgan's room."

Savannah whined. "You know it won't be that easy! They are all on the lookout for me. I don't know if I can pull it off."

Sam was getting impatient and tired of her whining. "Damn it, you will pull it off or you will never see "The Derek Morgan" again! You got that, bitch!"

She jutted her hips out and waved her finger in front of his face. "Don't you threaten me or talk to me that way! Otherwise, I will make sure you will never get your precious piggy Penelope back and that is a promise! No matter what I have to do!"

Sam was now angry and stalked toward her. He grabbed her by the neck and tightly squeezed while he shoved her against the wall. She began choking and gasping for air as she tried to fight him off.

"Now, you listen bitch and listen good! I am only going to warn you once! The next time I will kill you and won't even give it a second thought. Don't you dare talk about my Penelope like that, she is the perfect specimen for me! I have very special plans for her and trust me when I say they all won't be pleasant. She needs to be a taught a lesson and shown who is in charge. As far as you, don't you dare turn on me or it will be the very last thing you do! If I am nice, I may let you have Morgan. You got that?"

As she continued to choke and gasp she nodded her head vehemently in agreement. He finally released her neck just prior to her almost blacking out. As he let her go, she slid down the wall and fell into a crumpled mess. She was coughing and still trying to get some air into her oxygen starved lungs. She sat there trying to catch her breath, rubbed her neck and said absolutely nothing.

He walked away still fuming and with a maniacal look in his eyes. Nothing, and no one will stop him from getting exactly what or who he wanted. And, the who was Penelope Garcia, soon-to-be Mrs. Samuel Dumbrowski his future slave of all trades. He was counting the moments and tomorrow was 'D-Day'.

A few hours passed and they all enjoyed their lunch and kept a close eye on Derek. After he woke up the next time the doctor allowed Derek some time to eat something, albeit a small of amount of light foods. After much grumbling, he allowed his goddess to spoon feed him some broth and Jell-O® and he was given some toast, as well. He hated being treated like an invalid, but his girl was afraid he would burn himself with his unsteady hands. So, he finally capitulated. And again, he was sedated and allowed to sleep.

As the afternoon dragged by and turned into night the team and Fran sans Penelope headed backed to the hotel for the evening. Penelope still refused to leave the side of her Noir Hero. As promised, Derek was kept sedated all the way through until the next morning. Each time he woke up he was allowed a little time to stay awake and spend time with his family and his lady love. The doctor's plan was going well, as Derek was coughing less and less putting the least amount of strain on his chest and stitches.

The last time Derek woke up he insisted that Penelope crawl into bed with him. She hemmed and hawed she didn't want to hurt him, but finally gave in to his puppy dog eyes. She never could say no to him and he played her like a violin perfectly. They fell fast asleep in each other's arms as their last thoughts were hopefully, they would be able to talk things out a bit tomorrow.

Throughout the rest of day, Savannah contacted some people. She called in a few favors and managed to get some up-to-date information on the man of her dreams, her DerBear. She found out that he was now out of his coma and was taken off the ventilator. She also was informed that he was downgraded to stable condition, but would stay in the SICU for a bit longer. She was also told that he still had four guards protecting him and his room. Her informants also relayed other pertinent information that her partner in crime requested.

After running to the store, Savannah found everything she needed for her disguise. This needed to work or Sam would make good on his threat to kill her and Derek. When she arrived back to her hotel room, she decided to try on her whole getup. She bought a red-headed curly wig that went down past her shoulders and had bangs, to boot. She also purchased knee high black stiletto suede boots, a black skirt that went down to her calves and a slit on the side. She also bought a plain white silk blouse that could be buttoned down for added distraction. With the right make-up and the darkened thick rimmed eyeglasses not even her own mother would recognize her.

There was a knock at the door, she went to answer it and when she opened the door Sam was immediately taken aback. He walked in and closed the door.

She smiled while she watched him stare her up and down. "Watcha ya think?"

Sam grinned and whistled. "Wow, what a difference! You should be able to sail right by anybody without a problem. The wig is perfect and fits well with the rest of the ensemble."

"Thank you, this should do the trick!"

Sam smirked. "Listen, I just need you to buy me enough time so I can grab her and run. Then sometime thereafter you can figure out what to do with that overgrown muscle bound sorry piece of crap! Get changed and we will go grab some dinner. I need for us to get a goodnight's sleep we have a very big and busy day tomorrow."

Savannah nodded and headed off to the bathroom to change. They made their way to dinner and spared no expense and enjoyed their steak and seafood dinner. They finished their meal and turned in early because they would have to be awake before the sun rose.

Derek and Penelope managed to stay wrapped up in each other's arms all night. At one point, Derek woke up for a bit. All he could do was stare down at the beautiful angel asleep in his arms while he lightly ran his fingers through her long blond tresses. He felt so complete and happy with her right by his side. She was where he always wanted her to be and thought she should be. He was thrilled that she appeared to be back to her normal self. God, how he loved his Baby Girl and he hoped that she really felt the same way. They still hadn't had a chance to talk about anything yet. He really needed for her to know that he really loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He eventually drifted back to sleep and dreamt about nothing, but the gorgeous goddess next to him.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thank you to all that have read reviewed my story. All of that really brightens my day and makes me want to keep writing. Anyway, the long-awaited confessions and truths are about to happen! Enjoy and please feel free to let me know what you think! Nowww, onnnnn with the showww…..**

The next morning arrived and Derek was the first one to wake up. He felt like the luckiest man alive and couldn't wait to talk to the woman who long ago stole his heart. As he ran his hand softly up and down her back he began to place loving butterfly kisses on her neck.

Penelope started to stir and a wide smile appeared on her face as she moaned out in pleasure.

Derek grinned. "Good morning, Princess!"

Penelope purred out. "I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff!"

"God woman, how I missed hearing that! Did you sleep well, Beautiful?"

Penelope giggled. "I missed saying it, Handsome! I slept very well wrapped up in your arms. You always make me feel safe and that I matter. How did you sleep, my love?"

Derek placed his fingers under her chin and gently raised her head up so they were gazing at each other. "I am glad you slept good, I did as well! It's because my favorite girl was right by my side, right where she belongs. Of course, you matter Sweetness, you mean everything to me! I need you–"

She quickly and softly placed her fingers over his mouth to quiet him so she could speak. "Derek, I want to say something before you go on please. I really need you to let me get all of this out, promise me you will hear me out!"

He grasped her fingers that were over his lips and squeezed her hand tightly. "I promise Goddess, but then I need to tell you some things as well. Deal?"

Penelope nodded her head yes while they never stopped staring into each other's eyes and replied. "Deal, Baby Boy! First off, you need to know how truly sorry I am for hurting you these last few months. I would never willingly hurt you, but nevertheless, I did hurt you. The team explained to me that those so-called vitamins that Sam was giving me were tainted with Scopolamine and Ketamine. I had been taking them for months and I did not realize what they were doing to me. Also, after talking to Papa Bear, I remembered that Sam hypnotized me as well. Sam told me that I did not love you at all and that there was no way you would or could ever love me. He told me there were to be no more movie nights, no more pet names and no more hanging out with you. I was only supposed to call you Agent Morgan or Morgan. The worst thing he told me was if I did not follow his orders that he would kill you! I was scared and I didn't want anything happen to you!"

Derek's expressive eyebrows shot up and his heart went out to the woman in his arms. "Awww, Ba—"

Penelope cut him off abruptly. "Derek, you promised me I could finish, remember?"

Derek laid there still and quiet while he nodded his head yes. He remembered his promise, but his heart was still breaking for her as a few tears broke free and ran down his cheeks.

She reached up and gently wiped his tears away as she continued to bare her heart and soul to him. "These months must have been horrible for you and again I'm sooo sorry! I was cold, indifferent to your feelings and then I had the nerve to flaunt my so-called engagement to that animal. I would be devastated if anything ever happened to you, you need to believe that. Everyone has been extremely supportive and told me several times that it wasn't my fault and to stop blaming myself. I just can't help feeling guilty that I let this happen to me. I am begging you for your forgiveness, please forgive me Handsome?"

The whole time she was speaking and crying Derek had been caressing her cheeks with his free hand. All he wanted to do was get a hold of Sam and kill him for putting his goddess through all this pain and torture. Derek couldn't take his eyes off the most important person in his life, he was breaking inside. The longer he laid there the angrier he got and wanted to punch something.

He pulled her face closer to his and placed a sweet chaste kiss on the tip of her nose. "My turn now, mama?"

She slowly nodded and rasped out. "For now, but there is still much more you need to know, Angelfish!"

He gave her a small sad smile and nodded his head. "I know baby, I know! No worries sweet lady, I am not going anywhere! Now, I want you to listen to me and listen good. None of this and I mean none of this was your fault. There is nothing to forgive, he gave you no choices, those were taken away from you. I want to kill that son-of-a-bitch for what he did to you. He had no right and trust me he will pay for what he did to you and to us. I will make sure of that, even if it takes me forever, that is a promise to you. I am so sorry you went through all of that! I knew about the drugs, but didn't know that he also hypnotized you. I knew deep down that that wasn't you, I know you would never willingly hurt me. You don't have a mean bone in your whole gorgeous and sexy body. I just got frustrated when I couldn't break through to you and pull you back. Woman, you're my Baby Girl, my God-given solace and the woman I love more than life itself! I have been a fool for so long now, I was stupid and I am sorry for that. I need you to know I have been in love with you from the first moment I ever laid my eyes on you!"

Penelope gasped and the floodgates opened and the tears began flowing down her face like a waterfall. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, the man that she loved with every heartbeat and breath in her body was lying there admitting that he was in love her and wasn't upset with her.

Derek grinned as he tried to wipe away some of her tears. "Awww Sweetness, please don't cry! I didn't mean to make you cry, I finally came to my senses and needed to finally tell you the truth. That is why I left Savannah, I didn't and couldn't ever love her like I love you. I am sorry that it took me so long to get my head out of my ass. You're the sweetest, sexiest, smartest, craziest, quirkiest and most beautiful woman I have ever known and I need you by my side, always. I trust you like no other with my life, soul and most of all my heart. You have saved my life more than once during my darkest times by always being there and never once did you judge me. Please forgive me for not having the courage to tell you sooner. I am so sorry!"

Penelope couldn't tear her eyes away from him and widely smiled. She was still in shock that the man of her dreams truly loved her as much as she loved him. "OMG, Hot Stuff you are definitely not a fool! You are the best man I know and I too love you ohhhh so much! I was yours from the moment you called me Baby Girl for the very first time. You are the gentlest, most caring and the humblest man I have ever known. You have the biggest heart and have always been my Noir Hero. You have always been there for me and you never let me down. You never left my side after I got shot even after I treated you so badly at that time. It was my fault as well, I could have told you how I felt too. I was just afraid! I didn't want to lose what we had and I honestly never thought you could love someone like me!"

Derek became angry and his expressive eyebrows shot up as he quickly interjected. "Whoa, whoa woman! Pump your brakes! What do you mean someone like you?"

Penelope lowered her gaze and hung her head and remained quiet. He immediately, but gently placed his fingers under her chin and raised her head so he could look directly into her eyes.

He softened his features and his voice. "Talk to me, baby! Please tell me what you meant? I need to understand."

Penelope took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Let's face it, Sug! I have always been a fat, geeky nerd and many have told me so! I couldn't compete with women like Savannah, Tamara and Jordan they are all beautiful thin model types."

"Are you serious, mama? You are the most gorgeous and sexiest woman I have ever seen inside and outside! I never ever want you to think or talk like that again about yourself. Those women don't hold a candle to you. Don't you make me spank you when I get stronger!"

Penelope crinkled her nose as they both chuckled after his last comment. "Well, then why were you with them?"

Derek caressed her cheek as he stared into her beautiful and questioning eyes. He needed her to believe him so everything came spilling out. "Well Goddess, the truth is that I was settling. I have always settled for second best, because I never thought I was good enough. I didn't think you would want to burden yourself with a broken and unworthy man. You always call me your hero, but the truth is I am no one's hero and I am a coward. A man who never had the courage to speak up against his abuser and because of that many more children were hurt. I have so many dark days, demons and nightmares and I was afraid once you saw the real person who never trusted anyone that you would go running. So, I made the decision a long time ago that I couldn't lose what we had and would remain just your best friend. You have always been my God-given solace and I do trust you! I promise to keep working on myself if you promise to never leave my side. I love you Penelope Calliope Garcia!"

The entire time the man she was completely in love with was speaking and showing her his insecurities and fears she could not stop her heart from breaking. The tears were falling down her face in steady streams again and if it was possible she fell even more in love with her prince. She leaned in and placed a couple of chaste kisses and then slowly sat up never losing eye contact with him.

Derek became worried when she pulled away from him. "Where are you going, baby?"

Penelope grinned at him, grabbed his hand, leaned down and brushed her lips against his. "No worries, Sugar Shack I am not going anywhere! I never wanted to lose what we had either that is one of the biggest reasons I never said anything. I couldn't take the chance of losing you, I needed and wanted you in my life always! Now, it your turn to listen to me mister. You got that?"

He smiled and fake saluted her. "Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

She giggled and shook her head. "Crazy guy, you are going to drive me batty."

Derek wiggled his eyebrows and chuckled. "But, you love me anyway!"

Penelope squeezed his hand and winked at him. "True dat Handsome, true dat! Not now, nor have you ever been a coward! As far as I am concerned, you are the bravest and strongest man in the world. You will always be my hero no matter what. When those things happened to you were a scared little boy and Buford definitely had no right doing those things to you. You trusted him because he was an adult and he betrayed you. Not everyone is like that animal and you really need to stop blaming yourself, you honestly didn't know. None of that is or was your fault! You're worthy of love, respect or experiencing a beautiful and happy life. You worked hard and made a wonderful life for yourself. You have absolutely conquered your past, I know you don't think so, but you have! You have a wonderful job, a wonderful family, your smart, you really care about all the innocent victims, your sensitive and you give one-hundred percent of yourself to all that you do or care about. I am extremely proud of you, Derek! However, I know you still experience your nightmares, dark days and still fight with your demons quite often. I am so sorry that I haven't been there to help you through them. One of the biggest things I want you to know and understand is that I never have considered you a burden, NEVER! Also, I will never judge you and will always be right by your side. My love for you is unconditional and forever, I will never leave you! Just promise me that you will never shut me out and never stop talking to me! I love you Derek Michael Morgan!"

Derek hadn't realized he had been crying the entire time his girl was talking to him. Penelope tried to wipe away most of his tears as she smiled down at him. He reached one hand up and cupped Penelope's cheek gently as he gazed at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen or known. He knew he was the luckiest man on this earth and wondered what he did to deserve such a perfect gift in this woman.

"God woman, what did I do to deserve you? How did I get so lucky to have you in my life? I don't know what I would do or be like if I didn't have you in my life. You take away my darkness and show me light like I have never known. I am sorry I wasted so much time that we could have been together. Please promise me you will never stop being my Baby Girl?"

Penelope cupped his face in both her hands and bent down and they shared a loving kiss. When they pulled apart, she removed one hand and crossed her heart. "I promise, just as long as you never stop being my Hot Stuff?"

Derek grinned "Never Hot Mama, never! You're stuck with me now and forever! Now, come back here with me, I feel lonely, pretty pleeeeaasssse!"

She winked at him and grinned. "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"

"Never beautiful, never! I love you, pretty girl!"

"I love you too, Sugar Shack!"

They both chuckled as she slowly and carefully climbed in and curled up to him. He winced in pain as he gingerly wrapped his arm around the gorgeous goddess next to him. He thanked god for bringing her back to him, he vowed he would never lose her again. They laid there in silence soaking in each other's essences basking in the love for one another. Neither one realized they slowly drifted back off to sleep, with smiles on their faces and dreaming nothing, but good thoughts.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Just dropping by to say hey to all of you. You guys are all the best and I thank you all for your continued support and reviews. Thank you to all my guest reviewers. If I could, I would send all of you a personal response. But, alas I cannot, so just know I appreciate your comments and words. I love all of you that follow my stories. Now, enjoy the next installment of my Morcia story**.

In the meantime, Sam and Savannah were applying the final touches to their disguises. Sam managed to get his hands on a pair of scrubs, a cap and wore a fake hospital badge. He also made sure that he disguised his face. He was wearing a pair of glasses, a fake mustache and a short fake beard. They both made their way to their perspective hiding places. Sam was positioned in a utility room with a laundry hamper waiting on Savannah's text letting him know that his prey was on her way. There was a maniacal look in his eye and evilly he laughed to himself while he licked his lips. He was so excited he could hardly contain his glee knowing soon that he would have Penelope in his clutches.

A little while later their family arrived and found them wrapped up as one. They all stood there ogling the new couple and grinned. They began whispering and giggling amongst themselves and were thrilled that Derek was thankfully feeling better and that they both were so happy.

Several minutes passed by when Derek and Penelope both woke up and smiled when they noticed their family.

"Good morning, our family of Superheroes! How is everyone doing this fine and spectacular morning?"

Derek grinned and squeezed her tighter. "We are so glad you are here, we missed you guys! Besides, this is the day I get to stay awake and catch up with everybody especially, my Princess."

Fran smiled as she leaned over and kissed Derek's forehead. "Well well, you are both extremely perky today! Did something happen that you two would like to share?"

Derek continued to grin as Penelope began to giggle. "As matter of fact something did happen Momma! I finally pulled my head out of my butt and told my favorite girl that I am in love with her! And, the best part of it all, is she loves me too!"

The whole family smiled and burst out into laughter and resounded out in unison. "FINALLY!"

The happy couple shot a look at each other and grinned. Derek looked back at his happy family. "You guys knew?"

Spencer laughed out. "Duhhhh bro, we all have known for years that you two belong together. We have just been waiting on both of you to stop being so stubborn!"

"Ha ha, very funny Pretty Boy!"

Penelope blushed and cuddled into Derek even more. "We haven't been that bad, have we?"

Again, everybody burst out into non-stop laughter. In between bursts of guffaws they all said. "YESSSSS!"

Both Penelope and Derek stared at each other, he winked at her and then drew her into a loving and passionate kiss. He winced in pain, but he didn't care and when they pulled apart gasping for air, he turned his head and stuck his tongue out at his family.

Penelope snapped his ear and blushed again. "Be nice, Handsome!"

Emily piped out. "Yea Morgan, be nice."

Dave walked closer to the side of the bed and leaned down. He proceeded to place a kiss on each of their cheeks. "We are all happy for the both of you! Honestly, we all prayed that one day you two would finally figure it out and now you have. God bless you both and we all love you!"

Hotch stepped forward a little. "You know I was so tempted to lock you two in a closet, if you didn't both come to your senses soon!"

Derek tightened his hold on his girl again. "Thanks guys, it means the world to us that you have our backs. I almost wish you did lock us in a closet if that meant I could have been with my Baby Girl sooner!"

JJ smiled as she walked over to hug both her friends. "We will always have your backs, bro! Now, we just need to get you better and get you home. I know two little boys who are worried about their Uncle Derek and can't wait to see him."

Derek smiled as he grabbed JJ's hand. "Awww little sista, you tell my nephews that their Uncle Derek will see them soon and he loves them both!"

"Don't you worry, I will!"

Fran inched closer to the bed and gently sat down next to her son. She grasped his hand and squeezed it while she smiled and a few tears began to form in her eyes. "Baby Boy, I am sooo happy for the both of you! This is wonderful news and you both deserve nothing, but the best and a lifetime of love and happiness. I am thrilled that you finally realized you belong with each other. Now, I will officially get to call Penelope my daughter. I always knew you would end up together, things are as they should be. I am sorry it took such extreme circumstances on both sides for you both to admit your true feelings to one another. Last, but not least you know I am not getting any younger and will now be able to get those grandbabies you have been promising me all these years!"

"Maaaaa, we just got together and I am in no shape to think about that yet! Not that the heart isn't willing, it's just my body needs some time!"

Penelope's cheeks turned a bright crimson red as Fran leaned over and kissed both her children. The whole room was in an uproar over their antics.

"No worries, Baby Boy I will wait a little bit longer! I love you Penelope and welcome to the family!"

Penelope smiled up at her. "I love you too, Fran!"

Fran grasped her newest daughter's hand and sniffled. "What's this Fran business, from now on it's either Mom or Momma!"

Penelope sniffled out along with allowing a few tears to escape. "I love you too, Mom! It's been so long since I have had a mom I can't believe it!"

"Well, you have one now and always will, so believe it!"

Derek felt nothing but joy in his heart. He looked at the two most important people in his life and was completely thankful and knew he was the luckiest man in the world. He was floating on cloud nine. He found himself surrounded by his family and now knew he held the true and purest love of the woman of his dreams.

He smiled up at his mother. "Thanks Momma! I love you!"

"I love you too, my special boy!"

Derek cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. When the group quieted down he spoke. "Guys, I know that I may not always express myself or show you how much you mean to me, but I need you all to know that I love you all very much. I know, you know about my trust issues, but I also need you to know I trust each and every one of you. I am truly sorry if I ever gave you any doubts. You are my family and thank you for always having my back and I am sorry for scaring you!"

By the time he finished speaking, there were tears running down his cheeks. Penelope leaned up and kissed her chocolate god and smiled widely. "Awww, Angelfish! You have always been there for us, too! I love you with every fiber of my being!"

Dave looked around at his crazy family of misfits and grinned as he shook his head. "Son, we have known that for a very long time. We never doubted that, you have proven that every day for as long as I have known you. You have protected us and saved all of us one time or another. As much as we have done for you, you returned that back to us tenfold. Now, let's concentrate on getting you home and back to one hundred percent."

In unison, they all replied. "Hear, hear to going home!"

Derek grinned and chuckled out. "True dat old man, true dat! You don't have to tell me twice."

The whole unruly bunch began to laugh again as they enjoyed each other's company and relished in the thought that Derek was getting better.

While they continued to laugh, the door opened and Dr. Peters walked in and smiled at the giddiness before him. He was always amazed at the bond between all of them even though he knew that they were not all related by blood. He envied the close-knit family that they showed they all were.

Dr. Peters got everybody's attention when he spoke. "Well, it looks like I missed the party! You are all very happy today, it's good to see."

The whole gang quieted down, but continued to smile. Derek glanced at his girl and then looked up at the doctor. "Good morning, doc! We are having a great morning, this beautiful little lady next to me and I are finally officially a couple and I get to stay awake with my family today! I couldn't be more blessed and lucky!"

"Well, that is wonderful news! Congrats, you are definitely a lucky man!"

"Thanks doc, I certainly am! By the way, I am absolutely starving today. Do you think I could try a little solid food today? I am craving some chocolate chip pancakes."

The group couldn't help but chuckle and shake their heads. Fran giggled out. "Well, I guess my Baby Boy is really on his way back to his normal self."

Penelope kissed his cheek. "Thank god for that mom, thank god!"

The doctor stared down at his patient. "Well, I guess pancakes aren't too bad! I don't see why not, I will see what I can do."

Dave piped up. "Uh, doc if it's okay, we can grab some for him at the diner when we make a run for our food."

"Yeah, sure that will be fine. I am going to do a quick check of my patient and then you all can figure out your breakfast. How is the pain today Derek?"

As Derek answered him, Penelope sat up and carefully climbed off the bed much to the disappointed groans from her man.

"It's alright, it's about a five or six. It's a little easier to breathe and I really haven't been coughing too much."

"That all sounds good, Derek. You are aware though you still have a long way to go yet? Before you ask, I would say after a rest and recuperation period and some extensive physical therapy you should be able to return to full duty in about six months."

Derek was not a happy camper and whined. "Six months, doc! Really? I can't be off work for that long I will go nuts."

The doctor took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Yes, six months and that is being optimistic. Your body suffered a tremendous amount of trauma, you know that. There was damage to one of your lungs, one bullet nicked your heart and aorta, not to mention we had to open your chest. That is all going to take time to heal, you were lucky to survive! Besides, something tells me your family and your girl aren't going to let you overdo it! Just let time and your body do their thing."

All that could be heard was a not so happy Derek mumbling and grumbling under his breath. As he pouted, Penelope, Fran and the girls all were giggling as he continued his childish antics.

Penelope grinned and stuck out her lower lip. "Awww, Handsome it will be okay, you'll see! Let us spoil you for a while, please?"

Derek stopped pouting, grinned and winked at her. "Now, how could I possible say no to those beautiful baby blue eyes! I love you, crazy girl!"

Penelope reveled in her triumph and kissed his forehead. "Aww Sugar Shack, I love you too!"

While all the bantering was going back and forth, the doctor somehow managed to complete his exam on Derek. "Alrighty everyone, I am going to leave you to look after our patient. He appears to be moving along at a pace I am quite pleased and surprised with. Just stay calm Derek and keep the moving to a minimum. I hope you all enjoy your breakfast and I will see you all a little later."

"Thanks Doc and see ya later."

The doctor on the way out shook hands with all the guys and took his leave.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I hope this finds all you well and safe. Please keep all those poor people in Texas following Hurricane Harvey in your prayers. My heart goes out to all that have died, lost loved ones, have been displaced and have lost everything. God bless them all and I hope all of us can do something to help them.**

 **Thank you all for your continued support by reading, reviewing and following my story. I love you all! Things are about to get crazy. Now, onnn the showww…**

Dave clapped his hands and began to rub them together as he grinned. "Alright, my motley crew who wants what for breakfast from the diner? I got yours Morgan."

The whole family chuckled. Penelope was the first to speak up. "Papa Bear, I want the same thing as my Hot Stuff and huge coffee, pleeeassssee. My love, I am going to use this time to go take a shower and get changed, okay?"

"If you insist, I miss you already. I love you Baby Girl!"

She shook her head and grinned. "Don't worry silly, I will be back in a flash and then we can all enjoy our breakfast together. I love you too, Hot Stuff!"

Penelope leaned down and gently placed her lips on his and they exchanged a loving and passionate kiss which ended when everyone cleared their throats. When they pulled apart, Derek gave the group a sheepish look while Penelope blushed a deep red.

The family shook their heads and chuckled at the obviously in love pair. As Penelope grabbed her things Derek said. "Hurry back, Goddess!"

She winked at him and headed for the door. "I will Sug, I will!"

Derek grinned and winked back at her. "That's my girl!"

Hotch jumped in quickly. "Garcia, don't forget to let the guards know where you are going?"

Penelope smiled and faked saluted him. "Sir yes sir, Bossman."

In a blink of an eye she was out the door and heading down the hallway. It took a second for that to sink into Derek and his expressive eyebrows suddenly shot up in confusion. "Guards, what guards? What aren't you telling me guys?"

Hotch spoke. 'Easy Derek, calm down and we will tell you everything. It will all make sense in a minute.

Meanwhile, outside in the hall half hidden, there stood Savannah skulking. While she texted to her partner in crime that Penelope was on her way, the family began to fill Derek in on what happened so far.

Savannah received a text back from Sam, he acknowledged that he was ready to pounce and would keep his ear open for the upcoming melee. Savannah straightened out her skirt and made sure she was showing enough cleavage that would hopefully distract the two guards stationed at either side of the door to Derek's room. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and strolled over to the nurse's desk and grabbed a clipboard. At which point, she seductively walked over to the door, pushed it open and walked right in without any resistance from the guards. She was relieved that they didn't suspect a thing and did not recognize her at all.

When she walked in, the whole room became so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone stared at the apparent stranger as she sashayed right by them and made her way over to the side of the bed that normally held Penelope. They all didn't take their eyes off her while waiting for her to speak.

She had yet to say a word, all she could do was stand there and stare at her ex-boyfriend in awe. She still loved the man in front of her and swore that someday very soon she would again be with her ex-lover. She would do anything to get him back in her bed and never allow him to leave her clutches ever again. After all, there would be no more of his fat, geeky slut to have to worry about anymore. She was convinced he could get him to fall in love with her.

All anyone could do was throw confused and questioning looks at each other. Finally, Derek became impatient and didn't like being ogled at like a piece of meat that could be devoured at any moment.

Derek cleared his throat and spoke to her. "Excuse me ma'am, can I help you with anything?"

She continued to bore her eyes into him. "Ummmmm, yea!"

Now Derek, was getting extremely suspicious as were the rest of them. "Well, what do want or need? You need to say something and quick."

It was at that point, she took her hand and began running it softly up and down his arm. He quickly jerked his arm away and yelled out. "What in the hell, lady? What are doing? You have no right to touch me. NOW, GET OUT!"

Spencer began to put two and two together and figured out who it was. Before he could speak up she finally opened her mouth.

When Savannah moved her arm away she instantly placed it on her hip as she jutted it out. She purred out. "Of course, I do Derbear! You're my man I can do anything I want!"

Derek's eyes went wide as did the rest of family's and he blurted out. "Savannah! What in the hell are you doing here? I told you I didn't want to have anything to do with you anymore. I don't love you and I never did! I am in love with-"

Savannah could not stop herself from screeching. "Don't you say it! Don't you dare say that cows name! I love you more than she ever could! She is fat and ugly, I am beautiful and thin! You could never be happy with someone like her. We are meant to be and nothing or no one can stop us from being together. I love you, Derbear!"

Derek was furious and wanted her gone, now. He tried to readjust his position and winced in pain. "You are delusional, bitch! Get the hell out of my sight! You make me sick! I don't know what I ever saw in you to begin with. No one and I mean no one talks about Penelope that way. She is the most beautiful, loving, smartest and kindest person I have ever known. I will never love you, I will never want you and you make my skin crawl. I will love Pen till the day I die!"

Savannah smirked and shook her head. "Is that your final word, Derek? Are you sure it is that cow you want?"

Derek's eyes threw daggers at her as he tried to sit up. It was painful, but he didn't care and groaned as he screamed. "That is my final word! NOW, GET OUT!"

Savannah continued to smirk and slowly reached into her skirt pocket. "Well, in that case since I can't have you then nobody can! Say goodbye, Derbear!"

At that, she suddenly pulled out a gun and aimed it at his chest. In unison, the team screamed out "GUN, GUN!"

Spencer was the first one on the move. He rushed over to his brother's side and threw his body over Derek's as a shield. Everyone else managed to grab their guns and immediately pointed them at Savannah. During the melee, the three guards closest to his room came rushing in.

Hotch yelled out. "Savannah, drop the gun! You don't want to do this!"

She looked up long enough at him to scream out. "YES, YES I DO! I told you if I can't have him then no one can! Now, move Spencer or I will shoot you, too!"

JJ sprang into action and charged at the gun wielding Savannah as she screamed. "Ohhhh, no you won't!"

When JJ charged at her she managed to catch Savannah off guard and she was knocked to the floor. JJ went down after her and they began tussling around with the gun swinging wildly. Suddenly, the room was filled with the sound of a gunshot.

Emily shouted out. "JJ, ohh my god! JJ, are you okay?"

For a few seconds, there was silence as everyone held their breaths. Finally, they heard some movement. "Guys, I am okay it's not me. The bitch got it in the shoulder. I need some cuffs."

Dave made it over to her while she flipped Savannah over onto her stomach and slapped the cuffs roughly on the crazy woman on the floor. While that was happening Spencer slowly crawled off Derek and stood up.

Spencer anxiously stared down at his big brother as his eyes scanned over his whole body. "Morgan, you alright?"

As Derek began to cough a bit and winced from the pain Fran flew over to his side. It took a long few seconds before he could catch his breath and speak. Derek looked up at Spencer, grabbed his hand and tried to smile.

"I'm good, kid! Thank you for protecting me Pretty Boy! I will never forget what you just did for me!"

Spencer blushed. "No problem, you would have done the same for me. As a matter of fact, you have."

Derek looked over to JJ. "You go Pennsylvania Petite! Are you sure you're okay?"

JJ smiled and winked at him. "I am pos—"

Savannah whined. "Who cares about her? What about me? I am the one who is shot. Owww, stop that bitch no need to be so rough! These cuffs are too damn tight."

The whole team all at once yelled. "SHUT UP!"

Emily shot out. "You're lucky to be alive you, stupid bitch. The cuffs will stay as is and I hope your shoulder falls off. You will pay for what you have done for a very long time."

Hotch looked at Derek and asked. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Derek grinned and nodded his head. "You betcha! Savannah Hayes, you have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent then anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just explained to you?"

Savannah stood there with a look of defiance on her face. "Yeah yeah, but it won't matter. You haven't heard the last of this or me."

Derek smirked. "Your dead wrong! See you in court as they are throwing away the key on your sorry ass!"

Hotch looked over at one of the three guards. "Agent Richards, would you please remove this trash and make sure she gets checked out before you place her in holding!"

"Yes sir, right away!" He grabbed her by her injured arm which caused her to yelp out in pain as he dragged her toward the door.

Just before he pulled her out of the door she turned around and smirked at Derek. "Mark my words! You will be sorry, Derek! By the way, where is your precious piggy Penelope?"

Instantly all the color drained from Derek's face, his eyes went wide and he began to panic. The rest of the family also became very nervous and shot looks at each other. Derek quickly threw his covers off and tried to get out of bed.

All he kept saying was. "Baby Girl, Baby Girl! I've got to get to her!"

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! Please continue to keep the victims of Hurricane Harvey in your prayers and thoughts. Also, at this time, please also pray the people that will be in the track of Hurricane Irma. Thank you to everyone that has read, reviewed, followed and favorited this story. I love you all. God bless and stay safe.**

Fran and JJ tried to calm Derek down and keep him in the bed. "Calm down Baby Boy, calm down! You can't be moving around like this and trying to get up. You are going to pull your stitches out."

He kept trying to fight them and hollered out. "I DON'T' CARE! BABY GIRL, BABYYY GIRLLL!"

Hotch yelled out. "Morgan, calm down! We will go get her and make sure she is okay. Stay in the damn bed and that's order."

There were tears in his eyes. "Please tell her I love her and bring her back! She has to be okay!"

Hotch glanced around and pulled out his gun again. "Rodriguez, you stay here and keep them safe. Dave, Reid, Em, Porter come with me, now!"

All five of them bolted out of the room with their weapons drawn and ran down the hallway in the direction of the on-call room.

Fran hugged her son lovingly as he continued to worry about Penelope. Derek felt utterly helpless. "Momma, she just has to be okay! Baby Girl, Baby Girl! I love you!"

When Hotch and the others reached the door to the on-call room they banged on it and Emily called out to Penelope. They waited several seconds and there was no response at all. They counted to three and then burst through the door with guns blazing.

The first thing they spotted was the unconscious form of the fourth agent in charge of their security. Reid immediately ran over and checked for a pulse. He was relieved to find that Agent O'Hare was alive. It was then when he saw the two small burn marks located on his neck, the telltale signs that he was knocked out by a stun gun.

While he was tending to the agent the others completed a full sweep of the rest of the room including the shower and bathroom stalls. Penelope was nowhere to be found, all they found was a wet towel on the floor. Not even her belongings were left behind.

They all met back in the locker room area and Dave angrily shouted out. "Damn it, Kitten is gone! It must have been Sam! How in the hell are we going to tell Morgan? This is going to kill him! I pray and hope he didn't hurt her!"

Hotch took charge and barked out. "Dave, let's not give up just yet. Let's split up and check the floors, the stairwells and the parking lots. Maybe we can still catch them before they get too far. Keep in touch and be careful."

Everyone went running out of the locker room, split up and all went in different directions. First thing Spencer did was let the nurses station know about the unconscious agent, so he could receive some medical attention. As their search continued, Derek was out of his mind with worry.

In the meantime, Sam was speeding farther and farther away from the hospital as he laughed maniacally. His plan went perfectly, Savannah played her part flawlessly and now he possessed his pure and ideal specimen. He would cultivate and punish her into total submission for his every whim.

 _Flashback_

Sam couldn't believe how easy it was to catch his prey. As soon as he spotted Penelope heading into the on-call room he made his move. He looked all around and there was no one around except for the one agent on the door. He crept up behind him and shocked him with his stun gun. As the agent began to fall, Sam caught him, quickly dragged him into the locker room and threw him on the floor.

Penelope heard the commotion as she was getting ready to step into the shower. Sam moved swiftly before she could scream out, he hit her with the stun gun before she could react. Penelope fell to the floor and Sam then stuck a needle in her neck that was full of a large dose of sedatives to make sure she would be out for the duration. Once he did that, he ran to the hallway and grabbed the laundry hamper he managed to procure and wheeled it into the bathroom. Sam picked up the unconscious naked body of Penelope and her belongings, licked his lips and instantly became turned on as he threw her body into the laundry cart. He completely covered her with sheets and blankets. He rolled her over to the door, opened it, stuck his head out and saw the coast was clear. He made his way out into the hallway and made a beeline for the elevators.

Once he reached his van, he slid the side door open, grabbed her and roughly threw her unconscious body on the floor. He then tossed her belongings in too, which included her go-bag. He cuffed her wrists together, tied her legs and covered her up again, but not before he ran his hand up and down her beautiful body.

He couldn't help himself and whispered out. "You're all mine now, bitch! Derek will not be able to stop me and you will never see him again." He laughed uncontrollably when he shut the door, ran around to the driver's side and jumped in. He started the van up and sped away the like a bat out of hell.

 _End of flashback_

After about forty-five minutes which resulted in a fruitless search, the team decided to return to Derek's room to fill him in on what happened. No one was looking forward to telling him that there was no sign of their heart and soul.

As soon as they all made their way into his room, Derek immediately tried to sit up, winced in pain and barked out. "Baby Girl, where's my Baby Girl? Is she okay?"

The team all shot looks at each other and Dave walked over to Fran and placed his arm around her waist. "I'm sorry son, she is gone!"

"What do you mean, gone?"

Dave quietly and sadly answered him. "We found Agent O'Hare unconscious from a stun gun hit. There was no sign of her anywhere including her things and go-bag. We searched the whole hospital and its grounds and nothing! Sam got to her. I swear we will get her back, Derek! I promise!"

Fran gasped and began to tremble and cry. Immediately, Dave wrapped her up in his arms and started to comfort her.

Derek was beside himself, and again tried to get out of bed while the tears started flowing down his face. "I am going to kill that son-of-a-bitch! I swear if he hurts her I will strangle him with my bare hands. How did I let this happen?"

Spencer spoke out. "Morgan, this is no way your fault! You couldn't have known, this is all on Sam and Savannah. They did this together, she was used as a distraction."

Fran looked over at her son as she tried to pull herself together and reign in her own emotions to help him through this. "Baby Boy, Spencer is right, this is not your fault. No one could have foreseen this, she even had a guard watching her. She will be alright and the team will not stop looking for her, you know that! Now, please get back in bed, you are still healing honey!"

Derek growled out as he continued to try and stand. "Momma, I am fine and I can't just lay here while the woman I love is out there all alone with that animal! She must be terrified and is waiting for me to rescue her. There is no telling what Sam is doing to her."

Hotch walked over to Derek and placed his hand on Derek's shoulder. "Morgan, enough! Get back in that bed before I have you tied down for your own good! You think by causing yourself more harm will do anything to help Garcia. We have enough to worry about without you killing yourself!"

Derek stared up at Hotch, shook his head and deep down he knew Hotch was right. He mumbled, grumbled and cursed himself under his breath as he lowered himself back into his bed and sat down. He winced in pain, took a sharp intake of breath as his arm clutched his chest.

"Damn it, I hate this! We need to get her back man, we just have to! I can't live with her!"

Hotch looked around at everybody and then back down at Derek again. "I know you feel helpless right now, but trust us to handle this. When we get her back you need to be in one piece or she will kill us. Listen, I have already gotten in touch with Kevin and he is checking all the footage in and around the hospital grounds including the parking garage and any nearby traffic cameras. He will notify us as soon as he finds something. In the meantime, I have agents checking any and all airports, trains, bus terminals, hotels and motels within a fifty-mile radius."

Derek looked around at his family apologetically. "I'm sorry guys, of course I trust you. I trust you with my life and my Baby Girl's life. I didn't mean to snap at all of you, I am just worried and scared for Pen. Thanks for all you guys have already done. What about talking to Savannah?"

Dave jumped in. "Son, I don't think that is a very good idea. She isn't going to tell you anything, not now."

"I didn't mean me, Rossi! All she would do is antagonize me and try to manipulate me."

JJ piped out. "Definitely, bro! She would relish in the thoughts of destroying you even further by watching you squirm. Why don't you guys let Em and I give it a shot to get through to her? What do say?"

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Hotch announced his decision. "I think that it would definitely be worth trying. Girls, why don't you both head down to police headquarters and question her, find out what you can and hopefully she will reveal Sam's location and or at least his plans for Garcia."

JJ and Emily in unison nodded their assent. "You got it, Hotch."

JJ stepped over to Derek and kissed his cheek. "Hang tough, Derek! We will find her and bring her back to you! Love ya and be good for your momma!"

Derek hugged her and weakly smiled at her. "I love you too, JJ! Take no prisoners."

It was Emily's turn as she stepped over and hugged him. "Don't give up, Morgan! Keep positive thoughts and we will be back as soon as we can! Love ya, big guy!"

Derek hugged her and then threw her a wink. "I will never give up on my goddess, never! Give it good to Savannah and find our girl. I love you too, Em!"

They grabbed their things and gave a hug to Fran and plastered on fake smiles as they walked out and headed to the elevators. They both prayed they could get through to Savannah and get as much information as they could, regarding Penelope's whereabouts.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I just wanted to say God bless and I am sending all my prayers and asking you all to the same. I need all my family and friends in Florida and in the path of Hurricane Irma to stay safe. I am worried about and truly love all of you! I will be with you in spirit and I have faith that God will watch over you.**

 **Thank you to all that have read, reviewed, followed and favorited my story. I love all of you! xoxo**

As soon as the girls left the room, Hotch's phone rang. He looked down at the screen and saw that it was Kevin. "Yes Kevin, were you able to find anything? Hang on a sec, I am putting you on speaker."

The others all stared at Hotch as they hoped and prayed that Lynch managed to find something. They all took in a sharp intake of a breath and appeared to hold their breaths in anticipation.

Kevin began to speak. "Well sir, I was able to look through all the video feeds I could get my hands on. I found where a disguised Sam came rushing out of that on-call room you found that unconscious agent in. He was pushing what appeared to be a full laundry hamper and he quickly made his way into an elevator. While enroute to the basement in the elevator he briefly picked up a few sheets and I am sure I saw a person in there with blond hair. That person didn't appear to be moving sir, even after he ran his hand over the top of that person's head. Then I saw him drag that person out of that hamper and throw her into the side door of a black panel truck with tinted windows. He played with the body and then made a quick escape to the exit. Sir, I am sorry to say that it was Penelope and she was unconscious and completely nude. Derek, I am so sorry!"

Everyone let out deep breaths when they realized they all had been holding their breaths. Fran gasped out in horror and Dave immediately grabbed onto her and pulled her into his arms. They all had unshed tears in their eyes.

Fran cried out, "Ohhh my god, that poor girl! She must be so scared and she is all alone."

Dave rocked Fran and ran his hand up and down her back to try and bring some comfort to his wife. "Bella, everything is going to be okay. We will get her back, no matter what! Just keep positive thoughts and prayers going."

She just cried and shook her head in response and then pulled out of her husband's arms and headed right over to her son. She sat down next to Derek and pulled him right into her arms. "He is right Baby Boy! She will be alright and the team will save her."

Hotch continued to speak to Kevin. "Kevin send us what you have so far. Were you able to pull up a license plate or see which way they headed after they left the garage?"

Kevin replied. "I have sent everything I have so far to your tablets. I am still trying to make out the license plate number. I am also trying to pull up footage from the area street cameras as we speak. I will call you back as soon as I have anything definitive to report, sir."

"Thank you, Kevin will do. Just keep in mind time is of the essence."

"Yes sir, Lynch out"

Hotch looked down at a heartbroken Derek as his mother continued to rock her son. "Don't worry Morgan we will get her back!"

Derek looked at him with tears in his eyes as he swallowed hard. This was all his fault, his girl was going to die and there was nothing he could do to stop it. "I hope so man, I really hope so! She must be so frightened and I can't do a damn thing, but lay here and pray that we get to her in time. This is all my fault, I promised her that everything was going to be good from here on out. I swear if he hurts her I will kill that son-of-a-bitch!"

Dave bellowed out. "Stand in line, son! Dammit Derek, none of this is your fault! Stop blaming yourself you couldn't have known this was going to happen. Besides, you have been a little out of it for a while."

Derek screamed out. "I don't care what you say old man! This is my fault, I let her down when I should of, protected her. Now, I may never see her again and I can't live with that! Don't you understand, she is my life, my heart, my solace and my soul. I love her with all my heart! I just wish I told her sooner, we wasted too much time. And now…"

Spencer stepped over next to his brother, his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Morgan, Rossi is right! You need to stop blaming yourself, it's not your fault! I have never known you to give up on anything, please don't give up on Garcia! We will fin-"

Derek looked up at his little brother and cut him off mid-sentence. "I will never give up on my Goddess, she is my life now and forever."

Fran chimed in and pulling back from her son to look at him directly in the eyes. "Baby Boy, you need to pull yourself together and stay strong for your Baby Girl! She needs all our good thoughts and prayers right now. I have faith that she will survive this and come back to us."

As Derek looked at his mother with pleading and sad eyes, he also felt a twinge of hope creep into his heart. "You really think so, Momma? I promise to stay strong and I will never give up on her, ever!"

Fran gave him a halfhearted smile and wiped away some of his tears. "I know so my son, I know so. I know you won't give up because that isn't the man I raised you to be. You fight and you fight hard. I love you Baby Boy!"

Derek grabbed onto her and pulled her into his arms for a well needed motherly hug. "I know Momma, thank you! I love you too with all my heart!"

He then looked around the room with a sheepish look on his face at Dave, Hotch and Spencer. "I am sorry Dave, I didn't mean to snap at you. Thanks to all you for what you are doing. I love all of you guys and I know how much you all love Baby Girl, too!"

Dave gave just a hint of a grin. "No worries son, I didn't take any of that personally. I know you are frustrated and feeling helpless in this bed, but we need you to keep a clear head and continue to heal. You don't want to be falling apart when we get kitten back do you? Oh, and just one more thing. Watch who you are calling an old man, Hot Stuff!"

Everyone began to chuckle and shake their heads grateful for the brief moment of levity in the air. "Touché, Rossi touché! Your right I don't want to be falling apart when we get my girl back. Thanks, Papa!"

"Anytime kid, and we love you too!"

At that moment on the opposite side of the city, Sam pulled up in front of an old dilapidated abandoned warehouse. While he made his getaway, he maniacally laughed all the way to his destination. He finally managed to beat Derek Morgan and couldn't wait to start the process of breaking down his prized possession. He would now make sure she would bow down for his every whim. No more Mister Nice Guy, if it took forever for her to learn who the boss was. Then, so be it. He would enjoy every minute of her training. And, in the end he would have the perfect slave and puppet in Penelope. There would be no mercy and no Derek Morgan to stop him. His overconfidence would be his downfall without a doubt.

He turned off the engine and took a quick look over his shoulder to make sure his prisoner was still out from the drugs. Then again, he knew he would not have to worry, the drug he gave her would have her out for most of the day into the evening. That would give him plenty of time to get everything he would need into place and be ready to go.

Back at the hospital, Kevin informed Hotch that he was only able to get a partial plate number and found out that the vehicle was reported stolen by its owner late the night before from his driveway. He also explained that because of its age there was no way to track it internally. Next, Kevin informed him that he was attempting to retrieve video from traffic cameras and would keep them advised.

As more of the day passed by, the more frustrated Derek and the rest of team were feeling. Derek was out of his mind with worry. So much so, that the doctor ordered a mild sedative to calm him down a bit. Needless to say, Derek was not too happy about that. He wanted to remain alert and aware. He dozed off and on for a couple of hours.

JJ and Emily hammered at Savannah with a very intense interrogation for three hours which turned out to be useless. All Savannah imparted to them was that she was glad that "that fat slutty cow" was taken and that she deserved what she got. Savannah insisted that she did nothing wrong and was furious that she was in jail. The only other thing she kept repeating was that she loved "her Derbear" and she wanted to see him. The girls laughed in her face and left Savannah there screaming and throwing a temper tantrum.

Back at the abandoned warehouse, Sam now had everything in place. He setup a makeshift bed with a ratty mattress, one sheet and one pillow without a case. He took one of his own button-down shirts and placed it on her leaving the buttons open. He then chained both of her arms to the wall behind her and spread her legs open and attached chains to both of her ankles. He wanted to make sure when she woke up that she would feel completely degraded and helpless. He moved to a box he placed next to her. He opened it up and on the floor next to the mattress he neatly placed down a stun gun, a whip, a knife, a gun, a filled syringe, a blindfold, duct tape and finally video and Polaroid® cameras.

Once he was finished with that he left the room for a few minutes and made his way to the van. He grabbed a couple of bags and headed back into the warehouse whistling "Happy Days Are Here Again". He was feeling satisfied and thrilled that everything was going his way and that he was going to celebrate with his own personal specimen very soon. He made his way back into the room where Penelope still laid unconscious. He placed both bags on the small table that he managed to find in another part of the warehouse. He immediately emptied the bags of their contents which included a few bottles of water, cold cuts, bread, mayo, peanut butter, two bags of chips and three big bottles of Jack Daniels®.

He finished that task and walked over to Penelope and checked her restraints as he leaned over and roughly kissed her lips. He stood up satisfied that she was still incapacitated and gleefully went back to the table and sat down. He was feeling famished, so he made himself two sandwiches, grabbed some chips and poured himself some of the whisky into a large coffee cup. He happily ate and drank, then refilled his cup up again with more whisky. He was starting to feel the effects of the liquor and began to experience impatience while waiting for her to wake up.

He continued to sit there and broke out into another fit of maniacal laughter. He couldn't help himself as he stared down at his prisoner. As far as he was concerned she deserved everything he could dish out and more. He was ecstatic at the idea that soon he would control her every move, thought and action. It was making him feel on top of the world and he found himself becoming painfully aroused and turned on. So much so, that he raised up from his seat and stalked over to the still form of Penelope. Once he reached her, he sat down next her and his eyes began to roam all over her body. He began rubbing his crotch with one hand and with his free hand he slowly started to glide it over her entire body. He cupped his hand around one her perfect and plump breasts and began tweaking it.

At the same time while Sam was enjoying himself, Kevin Lynch excitedly placed a call to Hotch.

His phone started buzzing, he looked down at the name and immediately picked it up. "What did you find out Kevin?"

As Hotch placed his phone on speaker Kevin quickly blurted out. "Sir, I did what you asked and I was able to pull up video of the van on several cameras. I think I found them!"

Everyone at that time perked up and instantly felt some hope creep into their thoughts.

Derek yelled out. "What do you mean you think you found them? Either you did or didn't?"

Kevin's voice started squeaking and cracking. "Agent Morgan, I was able to follow their progress, but then the driver turned into an area full of abandoned warehouses. There were no more cameras to see them, there appeared to be five different warehouses and I lost sight of them there. I'm sorry I couldn't be more exact."

Hotched jumped in. "It's okay Kevin you did your best and that will help tremendously. Get in touch with all the locals and have them head over there and we will meet up with them and start searching. Make it clear to them to head in silent and stay out of sight until we get there. I don't want Sam spooked in anyway, we don't want Garcia hurt. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir, crystal clear. I will notify them now and I sent the coordinates to your phones. I hope you save Penelope before he can do anything to her."

"Thank you, Kevin." After hanging up he looked around at everyone and took a deep breath. The look on Derek's face said it all.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: I am truly sorry for the delay, thank you all for your patience. This time of year (9/11) is always extremely difficult for me. I was down there during both collapses and lost a few friends that day and the days thereafter to sickness and illnesses. My heart breaks for them and their families. I don't handle it very well and practically curl up into a ball and block out the world. But, as always, I am climbing up that wall again. Fan Fiction and all you help as well. Thank you all for giving me an extra special reason to fight back.**

 **I also want to thank god for keeping all the people I care about down in Florida from the wrath of Irma. Everyone has reported in and are safe with only minor damage to their homes and belongings. God bless all and stay safe.**

Derek had unshed tears in his eyes as he scanned the room and grabbed onto Fran's hand. "Please go find my Baby Girl and make sure she is okay. When you find her, tell her I love her more than anything! Tell her I'm sorry that I couldn't keep her safe."

JJ leaned over and hugged the man she considered to be the brother she never had. "No worries, Derek! We will find Garcie and will bring her back to you. Just stop blaming yourself, bro! There was nothing you could have done to stop this, I promise! We love both of you!"

Derek hugged her back and when they pulled apart he placed a kiss on her cheek and gave her a quick wink. "Thanks, my little sista! I love all of you, too!"

Dave walked over to the side of his bed, kissed and hugged his wife and placed his hand on Derek's shoulder. "Don't worry Bella, we will be back as soon as we can. Now, let's go get Kitten and bring her home!"

In unison Fran and Derek called out. "Be careful!"

They all turned and smiled and Spence spoke up. "Always."

At that, they all grabbed their vests and ran out of the room to find their friend, daughter and sister. Two agents were left behind to stand guard for mother and son. Fran sat down on Derek's bed beside him and he pulled her into his arms and sat there in each other's embrace for several minutes.

"Don't worry Baby Boy they will bring back your Baby Girl, safe and sound!"

"I know Momma, I know. I love you, thanks!"

Fran grinned. "I love you too, kiddo!"

Meanwhile, across town after he'd gotten himself off while touching Penelope, Sam continued to down some more of the whisky. He looked over at her when she started to stir. He sat there and he was thrilled that she was finally waking up and soon the fun would begin.

While their girl was coming to, the team met up with all the local police and fellow FBI agents. Kevin was right in his assessment there were five big abandoned warehouses in the vicinity. It was decided they would enter the area on foot, so as not to be heard. Each group of fifteen would take a building and thoroughly search them all until Penelope and Sam were located. Everyone was instructed by Hotch to remain calm and that Penelope was not allowed to be harmed under any circumstances. They all were given permission to use deadly force on Sam if necessary. Everyone split up and headed to their assigned buildings.

Sam grinned as Penelope began to moan and move around. She slowly opened her eyes and was completely confused and didn't understand why she couldn't move or sit up. She was still trying to clear out the cobwebs, her body felt so heavy and she had a splitting headache.

She became alert as soon as she heard the familiar voice of her ex-boyfriend Sam snarling out her. Penelope whipped her head quickly to stare into the crazed face of Sam as he taunted her.

He stared at her with a huge maniacal grin on his face. "Well, well lookey here! Look who decided to finally wake up. Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life of hell, Baby Girl!"

Penelope looked around the room and then down to her naked body. She noted that both her arms and legs were being held down with chains and shackles. She was extremely vulnerable and the tears started running down her cheeks. "S Sa Sam, what do you want with me? Where are we?"

Sam started to run his hand up and down her body. He enjoyed watching her squirm and try to move away from his touch. Penelope felt nauseous at the touch of him. She kept looking around for a way out of this and away from him. She felt so helpless and prayed that her family would find her and soon.

"Baby, baby, baby you are not getting out of here. So, don't even bother thinking that way. No one knows where we are, there is no one around for miles and as you can see there is no way out of those restraints. Besides, we have a lot of work to get done yet, you need to be taught who is in charge here and what your role is going to be."

"My role, Sam you are truly delusional! Just please let me go! Haven't you already done enough to me? You drugged and hypnotized me and almost cost me the love of my life. My family is going to find me and then what?"

Sam was furious and would not let her talk to him like that anymore. He leaned toward her and suddenly and harshly slapped her face. He then balled his hand into a fist and punched her in the eye. He then grabbed his stun gun and laughed as he placed it on her stomach and discharged it. He loved watching her jump all over the bed while he discharged it several more times. Penelope gasped and screamed out in pain as she began to sob. When he finally pulled it away, she was sweating and there were several burn marks where it made contact with her wet bare skin. He was immensely enjoying himself and couldn't wait to do more damage to her beautiful body.

"Shut up you whore! You will learn not to talk like that to me. I will not tolerate disrespect and disobedience. You need to know your place, you disgusting fat slut. You will be my sex slave and will do anything else I instruct you to do. You will not speak unless I give you permission. I shall be addressed as sir or master, you got that bitch?"

Penelope took a deep breath as she felt the pain on her face as her eye began to swell up and tried to become reoriented with her surroundings. She was determined to show him that she would not back down to him. She was angry, scared and needed her Noir Hero. "You're nuts, I am not calling you anything, but crazy! I hate-"

Sam ferociously slapped her face again. He then climbed on top of her and placed his hands around her neck and started to choke her. He did not let go for several long seconds and as soon as he let go she began to cough forcefully and gasped for much needed air. He hovered over her with his face in her face and tried to intimidate her even more.

"Now, what were you saying to me? Let's try this again, are you going to follow my orders bitch?"

All Penelope could do was stare at her captor and continued to cough and she managed to gasp out. "Yes, sir."

He placed his hand on her cheek and patted it roughly and grinned as she jumped at his touch. He felt satisfied that he was managing to take control over his prisoner and was thrilled that he completely frightened her now.

She laid there and looked at this monster and realized his eyes were dead and devoid of anything, except for cruelty and horror. There was nothing left of the man she once cared for. How did she not see him spiraling a long time ago? How she wished that her family of Superheroes would find and rescue her. She needed to get out of here before he started doing even worse things to her. She knew deep down he was going to force himself upon her anytime now.

Sam in the meantime, sat back on his legs while he remained straddling her body. He grabbed his whisky bottle, took the top off and began guzzling down almost half the bottle. As she watched him she hoped and prayed he would pass out before he did anything else.

He wiped his chin where he'd managed to dribble some and took another swig. "Yo bitch, ya want some?"

Penelope scrunched her nose and frowned. "No, sir."

"Well, I think you need some before we have some fun."

"No, sir."

Sam smiled wickedly and decided that she would have some anyway. He grabbed her mouth and pried it open while she tried to twist her face away from him. It was no use, he was too strong for her. The next thing she knew he was forcing the whisky down her throat and she started choking on it.

"Too bad whore, you will have some anyway. STOP FIGHTING ME, SWALLOW BITCH, SWALLOW!"

Somehow, he managed to get the rest of the bottle down her throat even though she managed to spit out a lot of it into his face. That just angered him more and he decided to discharge the stun gun a few more times. Her body jumped off the bed and twitched as he filled her with more pain.

The BAU team and the rest of their group were just stepping into their building when they heard shouting. Hotch texted the other four groups to notify them that Penelope and Sam were in the building they were assigned to. He ordered them to standby outside and to request the response of an ambulance and to have them come in quietly.

He looked around and whispered out his orders. He sent one group of five to head outside and cover the back and wait for his signal for entry. They nodded and ran out the building. The other group of five were told to circle around from the other side of building quietly and wait for further instructions. Dave, Spencer, JJ, Emily and himself started slowly heading towards the voices with their guns drawn.

Sam in the meantime, was losing patience and decided the next part of is diabolical domineering plan would start. He quickly jumped up, grabbed the next bottle of whisky, he opened it and guzzled about a quarter of the bottle. He then placed it back down and started to undress himself. All Penelope could do was watch with wide eyes while the tears flowed down cheeks in steady streams. She knew exactly what was coming next.

Fully disrobed except for his dingy boxers, Sam wobbly made his way back over to Penelope and proceeded to straddle her body and grinned. He leaned towards her and forcibly kissed her lips and tried to force his tongue into her mouth. She wanted to vomit and fought him all the way which earned her another slap in the face. He then made his way down to her breasts. He swirled his tongue around one while he roughly tweaked and pulled on the other.

Penelope cried out in pain and she prayed that someone would find her before this could get any worse. She knew it was impossible and knew deep down that no one would find her in time.

She screamed. "NOOOOOO, Sam stop! Please don't do this! NOOOOOO!"

Sam looked up at her with such hatred and complete loathing. He grabbed the duct tape that was sitting there, ripped off a piece and taped her mouth shut.

Sam ground out through gritted teeth. "Take that bitch! If you won't shut up, then I will shut you up! Now, lay back and enjoy the ride of your life with a realll man PE-NE-LOO-PPEEE!"

Penelope squirmed and tried to fight him off the best she could as she continually screamed and sobbed beneath her taped mouth. He pulled down his boxers, bit down on one breast then the other confident that she was in pain and went to force himself inside of her as he giddily laughed.

Just as he was going to penetrate her, the door flew open. It was kicked open by Hotch and hung by its hinges. Penelope and Sam whipped their heads around to face the noise.

In unison, the team rushed in pointing their guns and Hotch screamed out. "FBI, FREEEEEZZZZE! Take your hands off her!"

Penelope continued to cry and breathe hard, but she was so happy to see her family standing there and began to relax just a bit.

Sam looked over at the team and chuckled. "Well lookey, who it is! Surprise, surprise I guess they found us Baby Girl! It's the BAU clowns! I guess they think they are going to save you!"

Penelope continued to sob as Spencer yelled. "Get away from my sister! Put your hands up and don't move!"

Sam roared out with laughter. "Are you kidding me, Pretty Boy? You are a joke! You think I am going to listen to the sniveling little slug that you are? Yea, right! You aren't even a blip on my radar."

Dave gripped his gun tighter and bellowed out. "Enough of this crap! Stand up and get away from Penelope! Do it and do it, NOW!"

At that moment, Sam made a sudden move and grabbed his gun that was lying next to them!"

"Don't Sam, don't do it! Freeze, drop it or we will shoot!"

Sam froze for a second, shook his head, cackled out and took aim at Penelope.

In that split second, Penelope tightly squeezed her eyes closed and said to herself. "I love you Hot Stuff!" The air was suddenly filled with the deafening sounds of a barrage of bullets.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Sorry folks for the delay again. Many things going on that have me completely stressed out. I do, however, see a small light at the end of that very long tunnel. Keep your fingers crossed things continue to improve ever so slightly.**

 **Thanks to all of you for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting my story! You are all the best and I love you all. You keep me going and full of hope. God bless you!**

Penelope took a deep breath, realized she was still alive and then the next thing she was aware of, was a body on top of her. She opened her eyes and saw Sam sprawled over her and began to scream through the tape. There was blood everywhere. The team rushed to her side and rolled his bullet riddled dead body off her. The men turned away quickly as JJ buttoned the shirt she was wearing and Emily began to wrap the sheet around her friend.

JJ then moved up to Penelope's bruised face and reached down for the tape. "It's ok Garcie, we've got you, we've got you! I am going to remove the tape now, okay?"

Penelope immediately nodded her head and JJ quickly removed the tape from her mouth. Penelope shakily rasped out. "Th Th Thank you everyone! Is he, he, he dead?"

"He's dead, Kitten! He can't hurt you ever again, I promise! Are you alright? Did he, did he…?"

While Dave was talking to her Hotch, Spencer and Emily were in the middle of removing her shackles and JJ tried wiping away some of Penelope's tears.

Penelope shook her head and sniffled. "I, I, I don't think so? You all saved me!"

Dave cupped her face in his hands lovingly and asked. "What do you mean you don't think so, bella?"

With her arms now free she sat up, threw her arms around his neck and Dave pulled her in for a big hug. The tears started falling down her face again. "Ohhh Papa Bear, I was unconscious for most of the day. He told me he gave a needle in my neck, I don't feel any pain down there. I think he waited for me to wake up so he could ra, rape me then. I am so glad to see you all. How did you find me? How is my Angelfish?"

Dave was still running his hand up and down her back to comfort her when she pulled back and looked at the faces of her family. They all surrounded her by this point. Someone came running in and noticed that they found Penelope.

Hotch looked over at the agent and nodded to him. "Michaels, please have that ambulance respond in and tell them to bring in their stretcher."

Michaels nodded his head and as he ran out he stated. "Yes, sir!"

Penelope scrunched her nose and fake pouted. "Awww Bossman, I don't need an ambulance I'm fine. I just want to see my Hot Stuff!"

Hotch crossed his arms and gave her that all so familiar stoic look. "Garcia, it's not a choice it's an order. You will get checked out to make sure you are okay!"

"But, but-"

Spencer cleared his throat and gave her the puppy dog eyes. "Garcia, we love you and want to make sure you are good! Please, we were scared while you were gone. "

JJ smiled at her bestie and rubbed her arm. "Spence is right Garcie! We were so worried about you. We love you so so much!"

Emily chipped in with a smile. "PG, we missed you so much and you know if Morgan were here he would insist on having you checked out. He would drag you if he needed to!"

Everyone chuckled after hearing those words.

"So, what do you say, my daughter? Will you humor this old man?"

Penelope smiled, giggled and with a sheepish look she stared at her family. "Well, how can I possibly say no after all that! Alright, alright I will go, but only to the same hospital as my Sugar Shack."

Hotch cracked a smile and winked at her. "You drive such a hard bargain, Garcia!"

The whole group chuckled and Penelope giggled again. "I love you all and thank you for finding me. You never did tell me how you found me. Please tell me how my Chocolate Adonis is?"

"You didn't think we would give up on you now did ya, PG?"

Penelope grinned. "Never, my raven-haired beauty, never!"

Hotch spoke up. "As far as finding you, we have Kevin to thank for that! He worked extremely hard to follow that van with the help of street cameras. Otherwise we still would be looking for you."

"Aww, I guess I will thank him as soon as I can. I owe him big time as well as my fine furry family for saving me."

They all laughed while JJ brought her into a loving hug. "Well girlie, your favorite hunk of chocolate is going nuts without you! Fran is with him to make sure he doesn't try to escape again. We held him down a few times, the doctor threatened to restrain and sedate him. Of course, he also blames himself that he broke his promise to you, to always protect you. We have all tried to tell him that he was wrong and there was nothing he could have done. Now, it is your turn to convince that big stubborn lughead that it wasn't his fault!"

Penelope smiled and shook her head. "I hear ya, Sunshine! He is one hundred percent my stubborn hero, but I love him with my whole heart. I will work on getting him not to feel guilty, I have some tricks up my sleeve!"

Dave chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I bet you do, Kitten! I bet you do!"

The medics walked into the room with their equipment and stretcher. "Can I please call my love?"

Spencer piped up. "Let the medics check you out, get you on the stretcher and you can call Derek from the ambulance, deal?"

Penelope fake pouted. "Deal!"

Across town Derek was not only driving himself crazy, but he was driving Momma Morgan up the wall. He was out of his mind with worry and guilt. He kept a watchful eye on his phone as he fidgeted in his bed. He really wanted to get out of bed and go after his lady love. He really needed to find out something and soon before he jumped out of his skin.

"Calm down, Baby Boy! They will call us as soon as they can, I know they will!"

"I know Momma, I just can't stand the not knowing or not being there. I can't go on without her, I love her so much, she is my life! This is all my fault, I should have been able to protect her!"

"Derek Michael Morgan, how many times do I have to tell you, this is not your fault in any way, shape, or form. You're here because you were shot and there was nothing you could do from this bed. You know that and so does my future daughter-in-law. She is not blaming you and she will tell you that when you talk to her. She would scold you for thinking like that and trying to escape this bed. Now mister, you stop this, right this minute and think only positive thoughts."

Derek chuckled and hugged her. "Thank you, Momma! You're right, what would I do without you? Your future daughter-in-law, huh?"

Fran smirked. "Mark my words, my son! And, then I will finally get those grandbabies you have been promising me for years!"

Derek grinned and shook his head. "Maaaaaa!"

As the next few minutes ticked by very slowly for Derek, his lady love was being checked out by the medics and loaded into the waiting ambulance. As soon as they started to head to the hospital, JJ passed her phone to an eagerly waiting Penelope while the medic began to treat her burn wounds on her torso.

Derek jumped as he heard his phone ring. He and Fran looked at each other briefly and immediately Derek became nervous as soon as he saw it was JJ calling him.

He took a deep breath and hit talk. "Hey JJ, please tell me that my girl is safe and coming back to me!"

He grinned and released the breath he was holding as soon as he heard his goddess' voice. "Hiya, Handsome!"

Penelope giggled when she heard his response and the relief in his voice. "Oh my god Baby Girl, I love you! Are you okay?"

Fran smiled, winked at her son and quietly made her way out into the hall to give the new couple some privacy. "I'm fine, my love! Our family of superheroes rescued me just in time. I love you too, Hot Stuff! Did ya miss me?"

"Absolutely I missed you, crazy girl! You are the light of my life and I wouldn't be able to go on without you. I finally have you and I am never ever letting you go, woman. Where you, Baby?"

She laid her head back on the stretcher and smiled. Well, my Chocolate God, JJ and I are in the ambulance enroute to the hospital, as we speak. The rest of our family is following right behind us."

Derek started to panic. "Ambulance, I thought you said you were okay? What's wrong, Princess?"

Penelope chuckled. "Calm down, my love! Calm down, I am fine they just want me to get checked out. Sam, gave me a drug to knock me out and kept me all tied up."

Derek's anger began to well up in him and he balled his hands into fists while he listened to his girl's voice. "I am so sorry, I let you down! Baby, I need to know something. Did he, did he try to…?" He let his voice trail off, he was afraid of the answer.

She took a deep breath. "No worries, Sweetie! He didn't rape me, our family got there just in time. "I'm good, I promise! Handsome, I really need you to listen to me okay?"

He sighed out in relief and sent up a silent prayer of thanks to God that that pig hadn't raped her. "Thank God, mama! Whatever, you want to tell me I promise I am listening."

She smiled, knowing that it would take many more times to convince him this was not his fault. After all, she knew how stubborn and protective he was when it came to the people he loved. "I know you are blaming yourself for what happened, DON'T! This is no way your fault in any way possible. This is all on Sam, he did this to me. He is dead and can't hurt either of us ever again! I know you want to take all of this on your strong sexy shoulders Derek Morgan, but you didn't do anything wrong! Don't even think about arguing with me either, mister! Just remember I know you better than you know yourself. You were laying in the hospital healing after almost losing your life. I don't blame you, so please let yourself off the hook."

Derek laid there and shook his head. No matter what she said he would always blame himself for allowing this to happen. "But, but Baby Gi—"

Penelope cut him off mid-sentence as she huffed out. "No, no buts my sexy and stubborn Noir Hero! I mean it, if you don't stop thinking like that I will have to spank you Baby Boy! I love you with all my heart and soul, Hot Stuff and that will never change. "

Derek grinned and shook his head. She was always his champion and his solace. God, how he loved that woman! "Alright, alright I give up silly girl! You win, but will you spank me anyway, I know I would absolutely enjoy that. I love you, my gorgeous Goddess! Always have and always will!"

Penelope couldn't help herself when she began to laugh hysterically. "You're a crazy, crazy man, but I love you anyway! If you're a good boy and behave yourself, when you are all healed I may make your wish come true."

They both laughed together and couldn't wait to see each other. "Promises, promises! I might be crazy, but only crazy for you woman."

Penelope blushed and looked over at JJ who was giggling uncontrollably. "Chocolate Drop, we are just pulling up downstairs. I will behave and let the doctors check me out and then I will be up to see you as soon as they are done with me. I love you and miss you, my Prince."

Derek couldn't keep the grin off his face, knowing he would be seeing the love of his life very soon and that she was safe. "I love you too, my Princess. I can't wait to see you and hold you in my arms again."

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hey all, I hope you are still enjoying this story. Our couple is finally reunited in this update along with a surprise ending. Keep reading on to find out. Thanks for all your support, it's definitely appreciated! I love you all!**

After the called ended, Derek laid back against his pillows and relaxed. He couldn't wait to see her and swore he would never let her go again. Fran finished talking with Dave and hung up. She noticed through the window that Derek was smiling and off the phone. She made her way back into his room, walked over to him and kissed his forehead.

Fran held his hand and smiled. "You feel better now that you have spoken to your Baby Girl?"

He grinned. "Absolutely, Momma! She is downstairs and is getting checked out. She said she is fine and that Sam didn't rape her, thank God! We will see her soon."

Fran chuckled. "I know honey, I just spoke with Dave. JJ and Emily will stay with Penelope and the others will be up here shortly to fill you in on everything. I am just thrilled that my new daughter is here and safe. I know you can't wait to see her, huh?"

He squeezed Fran's hand. "I really can't Momma! I just need to see her with my own eyes and hold her in my arms. She is my life and always will be! I would do anything to make sure she is safe and knows that she is loved for the rest of our lives."

Fran patted his hand and then pulled him for hug. "I know my son, I know!"

The girls stayed with Penelope during the time she got checked out. While the women were downstairs, the guys headed upstairs to fill an anxious Derek in on all the details of the rescue. All of them kept reassuring him that the heart of their team was fine and would be up shortly. The more they told him, the angrier he got towards Sam. Derek's biggest regret was, that he himself wasn't the one that got to take the kill shot for all that Sam had perpetrated against his girl.

The next couple of hours passed by extremely slowly for Derek and Penelope. Penelope finally was given a clean bill of health, minus some minor burns and bruises and the women headed upstairs so Penelope could be reunited with Derek. All the girls were chatting away as they made their way into Morgan's room. When they entered, Fran and Dave were cuddled up together on one of the couches. Spencer and Hotch were sitting on either side of Derek's bed and they were all laughing about a joke that Spencer just finished telling everyone.

Penelope smiled widely, ran over to Derek and practically threw herself into his waiting and open arms. Derek winced in pain, but he didn't care about that. All he could think about was the best thing in his life was where she belonged, back in his loving and strong arms.

Following their extra-long embrace, they both pulled back slightly, gazing at each other and each noticed tear's flowing down their cheeks. They were both ecstatic to be together once again. As they both remained like that for several long seconds, the rest of the family looked around at each other and smiled with happiness.

Derek couldn't keep is eyes off her. His heart was breaking as he stared at the bruises on her beautiful face. Both sides of her face were discolored, one eye was swollen and completely black and blue. He also pulled back the sides of her shirt and noticed hand and finger marks around her porcelain white neck. He gently cupped both his hands around her beautiful and silky soft face, as the tears and anger continued to flow out of him.

"Ohhhh, my gorgeous Goddess I am so sorry he hurt you! If he were still alive I would kill that son-of-a-bitch! How dare he mar this breathtakingly ravishing face and body. I am so happy to see you and I am never letting you out of my sight ever again. I love you sooo much, Hot Mama! What did the doctor say?"

Before she could reply he leaned in and placed a searing and passionate kiss on her lips, which she instantly returned. They couldn't get enough of each other and were enjoying the reactions that their bodies were exuding. The necessity to breathe finally and reluctantly forced them apart.

They were gasping and panting for air and Penelope couldn't help, but giggle. Once she managed to bring her breathing under control she spoke out. "Wow, Hot Stuff, that was some kiss and I hope you never let me go! I love you too, with all that I am, my sexy god! But, I think you need to get your eyes checked, mister. I look terrible and with all these bruises I am far from beauti-"

While never taking his eyes off her, he sighed and caressed her cheeks as he cut her off. "Baby, you could never look terrible, even if you tried to. You are my beautiful princess and the best thing that has ever happened to me!"

Penelope placed her hand on his cheek and smiled lovingly. "Awww, my hero and always my champion! You always know exactly what to say to make my heart soar. As far as the doctor, he said I would be fine and everything would heal in time. There will be no long-lasting effects from the drug Sam gave me. I have a few bruises and to make sure that I keep the burns clean and change the dressings frequently to avoid them getting infected."

Derek was horrified and he blanched immediately. "Burns, what burns?"

Penelope lifted her shirt and leaned back a little further so he could see the dressings. "Calm down, Baby Boy! Sam used a stun gun on me a few times. They don't hurt too much and the doctor gave me some painkillers for it. I will be good as new in no time, I promise!"

Derek's hands instantly floated down to her stomach and gently touched it and his heart broke some more. He was not only angry with Sam, but himself as well. He let her down and couldn't keep her safe. He would never forgive himself. He always swore he would keep her safe, he failed.

With sad brokenhearted eyes, he looked up at her and prayed she would forgive him. She knew that look and wouldn't allow him to go there.

She stared at him and sternly admonished him. "OHHH NOOO you don't, Mister! Don't you dare go there! This is in no way your fault whatsoever! This is all on that animal Sam. I won't now or ever allow you to blame yourself. Do you hear me, Handsome?"

"But, but I didn't pro—"

She cut him off, glared at him and poked her finger on his good arm. "No ifs, ands or buts, Derek Morgan! I mean it!"

He gaped at her, slumped his shoulders and knew when to throw in the towel. And, he knew she definitely meant business. So, he relented and gave her a sheepish look. "Alright, Goddess! I give, I give. I absolutely don't want you pissed off at me, I couldn't stand that. I love you, Baby Girl!"

She could never stay mad at him, they both knew that. So, she grinned at him knowing she was victorious. "That's better, Angelfish! I love you too, silly man!"

The whole group burst out with a fit of laughter as they all shook their heads at both of their antics. They also knew that Derek would still blame himself, but they also knew Penelope could never stay mad at him. While everyone continued to laugh, Fran made her way over to Penelope and pulled her into her arms for a motherly hug.

When Penelope and Fran pulled out of their embrace, Fran was widely smiling. "Ohh Penelope, it is so good to see you again, safe and sound! We were all so worried about you. I am so proud of you, you are such a strong and courageous young lady! I have always considered you my daughter and I love you very much, Honey!

Penelope let a few tears fall, grinned and sniffled. "I love having a mom again, it's been way too long for me. You mean the world to me Fran, you are the best! Thank you, from the very bottom of my heart! I love you too, Mom!"

Derek couldn't help but grin as he sat there. He loved watching this very special heartfelt moment between two of the most important and special women in his life. He knew he was the luckiest man alive to have them both, along with all the people surrounding him in this room.

Fran cleared her throat and wiped away a few stray tears that managed to escape from her eyes. She looked around at everyone and smiled. "Alright guys, let's go and grab some coffee and give these two lovebirds some time alone."

Derek quickly blurted out. "No wait, don't leave yet! I want everyone here for this, please."

The group all shot questioning looks at each other. Not one of them knew what he was talking about or what was about to happen.

"What's up, Chocolate Drop?"

Suddenly, Derek became extremely nervous and began to tremble inside. He thought to himself. _Calm down, Morgan! You can do this. No, you need to do this! You love her, you got this!_

He took a huge gulp of air to try and tamp down his nerves. He looked around at his family and then his gaze fell upon the love of his life. He nervously smiled, and re-adjusted his position on the bed as he winced with pain. He gently brought Penelope's hand into his and squeezed it. With his other hand that was under his sheet, he began to fidget with the little black box that was hidden from view. It was now or never and he was glad their whole family was here for this, minus his sisters, of course.

"First Pen, this is not how I planned to do this, I pictured something a lot different in my mind. But, after everything that has happened to us recently I can't and don't want to wait any longer!"

Penelope scrunched her nose before speaking. "What are you talking about, Handsome? You are making me a little nervous."

The light bulbs went on over everybody's head, except for Penelope. They all began to beam with excitement and happiness especially, Fran. Her dreams for her son were finally coming true.

Derek couldn't help, but chuckle to himself. Leave it to his girl to always think the worst. He took another deep breath and tried to steady himself.

"Baby Girl, I love you with all that I am and all that I have! You are the best thing that has ever happened to me! You are the smartest, the most loving and the most beautiful woman I have ever known both inside and out. You have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. You are always there for me in good times and bad. You are my best friend, my solace, my safe-haven, the other half of my heart and I trust you with all that is important to me. My heart, my body and my soul. You give me hope when I am ready to give up and you never let me get away with anything. I can't stand to be away from you! I can't breathe when I don't know where you are and when you aren't anywhere around me. I want everything with you now and always. I want to spend the rest of our lives together, I want the white picket fence, I want you to be my wife and I want us to have lots of little babies. I want us to grow old together and watch our family as they grow and prosper. You are my everything and I need you by my side, always! Please tell me you will have me, I will never let you down and you will never regret it, I promise!"

At which point, he released her hand and brought his other one out from under the sheet. He grasped the black box and flipped it open to reveal the most beautiful engagement ring that Penelope had ever seen. As he pulled it out from the box, she gasped.

He gazed back at the most ravishing woman he ever knew, smiled widely and gently took her left hand in his.

"Penelope Calliope Garcia, would you make me the happiest man in the world and please do me the honor of becoming my wife? I love you with every breath I take, you are my world, my everything!"

She raised her right hand and placed it in front of her lips as the tears of both joy and shock were cascading like a waterfall down her lovely face, she was left speechless and breathless. This was the moment she dreamt about for years. She looked back and forth between the ring and the most loving and sexiest man she had ever known. Penelope couldn't believe her ears, the man that captured her heart, oh so long ago was actually asking her to marry him.

Several long seconds passed, and Derek was getting more and more nervous. He sat there and held his breath. He squeezed her hand and gazed longingly into her beautiful blue eyes that always brought so much love and comfort into his life.

He took another deep breath, squirmed nervously and smiled. He couldn't stand the suspense any longer, he needed to know. "Goddess, please don't leave your man hanging here," he spoke softly.

The family stood stock still, beaming and holding their breaths they couldn't wait to hear her answer. Even though they all already knew what it would be.

Penelope was pulled back to reality by his shaky and hopeful voice. She suddenly realized that she hadn't given him an answer yet. The most stunning smile appeared on her face as she nodded and finally found her voice. "Ohhh Derek, I am soooo sorry!" his heart suddenly plummeted.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: As always, I love you all! You are the best and I continue to appreciate your support and your kind words. This story is near it's end. As always, I also make sure that our OTP gets their HEA! There is one more chapter left and then the epilogue. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. God bless all of you.**

"Of course, I will marry you, silly man! Yes, yes, a million times yes! There is nothing more I want than to spend the rest of my life as Mrs. Derek "Hot Stuff" Morgan and have your babies!"

Derek let go of his breath and gave her his famous thousand-watt smile. He gently slid the ring onto her finger and then pulled his gorgeous fiancée into his arms and they shared a sizzling steamy kiss that lasted until they finally pulled about for air. While they kissed, the room erupted with clapping, squealing and congratulations from the whole elated family.

Derek caught his breath and rasped out. "You had me going for minute when you didn't say anything, Sweetness."

Penelope giggled. I'm sorry, my love! You left me speechless and I needed it to sink in before I could say anything. I have waited forever for those exquisite and wonderful words."

Derek shook his head and chuckled. "And, here I thought I would never see the day that "the Penelope Garcia soon-to-be Morgan" would be left speechless," the room was quickly filled with fits of laughter.

Penelope faked pouted and jokingly slapped his good arm and asked. "What am I going to do with you, ya nut? Stop picking on your very hungry future wife!"

Derek wiggled his expressive eyebrows, winked and cupped her face in his hands. "Welllll, I have several ideas that are running through my mind right now, Hot Mama!"

She bore her eyes into him as a serious look took root on her face. "Ohhh no you don't, Mister! There will be none of that for quite a while yet, not until the doctors clear you. You got that Derek Morgan?"

Derek couldn't help, but to let his body slump as he stuck his lower lip out totally defeated. "Awww Baby Girl, I can't help it, you drive me crazy! What can I say? You are beautiful, sexy and I can't wait to have you in every way possible!"

Reid squealed out suddenly. "TMI, Morgan, TMI!" the whole room filled with groans and laughter.

"Behave yourself, my sexy Chocolate Adonis!" she grinned and placed a small chaste kiss to her fiancé.

Suddenly, Penelope formed a strange look on her face and needed to know something.

Derek couldn't help, but notice the shift in her demeanor and became concerned, "Baby, what is it? Is something wrong?"

She looked down at her breathtaking ring and wondered something. "Umm, Chocolate Thunder I have a question for you."

He grasped her hand in his and murmured out. "Shoot, mama! You know you can ask me anything you want," she gazed up at him and asked. "Where did you get the time to get my stunning ring?"

He exhaled out, shook his head and gave her a sheepish look. "Lord woman, you had me worried for a minute. Honestly, I always have it with me wherever I go. I bought it years ago for you and it never leaves my go-bag."

Penelope gasped, she couldn't believe her ears. "What? Really? You bought it years ago?"

Derek actually blushed. "Really, Sweetness! Deep down I always knew you were the one for me! I have always been in love with you!"

She gently pulled him towards her and cupped his face in her hands. "Awww, my sweet and sexy Hunk of Burning Love! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, my hubby-to-be! I love you sooo very much!" She leaned in a placed a loving and chaste kiss to his lips.

When they pulled apart, he grinned and winked at her. "I can't wait either, my beautiful and perfect fiancée! You are my world! I love you too, Angel!" They shared another kiss and then just sat there and gazed into each other's eyes.

The next few minutes were spent with numerous hugs and words of congratulations to the newly engaged couple. All of them thanked Derek for allowing them to share in the joy of watching him propose to Penelope. He explained that he wanted the whole family to be there as he expressed his honest feelings of his love for their favorite girl. The only disappointment was the fact that his sisters couldn't be there. Everyone was completely excited and the happiness shone right through the whole room.

Fran was beside herself as she threw her arms around her future daughter-in-law. She was ecstatic that both her Baby Boy and his Baby Girl were finally going to get married, and hopefully soon she would be graced with her first grandchild. "Ohhh, Honey, I am so happy for the both of you! Now, I can officially welcome you to the Morgan clan! I wish you both all the happiness, love and joy in the world. I love you both. And, maybe now I can those grandbabies that my son has been promising me for years! After all, I ain't getting any younger, ya know!"

Derek cringed, tilted his head to one side and huffed out. "Maaaaaa! We just got engaged for crying out loud!" Fran chuckled. "I know sweetie, I know! It's just a little reminder that I can't wait to spoil some grandbabies!"

Dave shook his head while he placed his arms around his wife's waist. "Bella, it will happen soon enough. In no time at all, we will be spoiling our grandchildren, I promise!" he chuckled and kiss her on the cheek.

Fran winked and grinned. "Thank you, my love!"

Penelope winked at her mom and whispered. "No worries, Nana! Soon, very soon! I love you too, mom!" the whole group smiled as they all looked at each other.

Dave cackled out while he clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Well now that that is all settled, who's hungry and up to celebrating a little? Dinner is on me, mi familia," suddenly, there was a chorus of me, me, me!

The next week flew by and now it was time to get Derek back home after being released from the hospital. Everyone was excited to head back to Quantico, especially Hotch and JJ. Hotch couldn't wait to get back to Jack, he spoke to his little boy every day through Skype®, but it just wasn't the same as being there. JJ felt the same way about seeing Henry and Will.

Chief Cruz notified the team, as per the Director that everyone was on stand down for the next two weeks. Derek of course, wasted no time in asking Penelope to move into his house with him. She said " _yes_ " instantly and it was decided that she would move in immediately, she needed to be there to take care of her Chocolate God while he continued to recuperate. The team promised, that once they got settled back home they would help her to move some of her things to Derek's house. The rest would be placed in storage until the soon-to-be married couple located their dream house.

The three SUV's pulled up in front of Morgan's house. Derek still needed to move gingerly and slowly. So, with the help of Rossi and Reid they helped him out the car. He winced in pain and took a few deep breaths, between the long plane ride home and the not so great roads, he was in a great deal of pain and needed his meds and soon.

Penelope walked over and slid her arms around his waist, as he gently laid his arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him with a pained expression. "Awww Hot Stuff, I am so sorry you are in such pain. Let's get you inside: lay you down, give you your meds and get something in your tummy. Then it's to bed with you my hero."

Derek grinned as he shook his head and winked at her. "Only if you join me, mama?"

She giggled. "What am I going to do with you, Chocolate Drop?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "I may have a few ideas on that, Baby Girl!"

She huffed out. "Hey, hey behave yourself! None of that for a while. Now, let's get you in the house, mister!"

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was in too much pain to argue. So, he just nodded his assent obediently. Penelope gently guided him in, with Rossi and Reid sticking close by in case they were needed.

Slowly but surely, he made it up his three steps and to the front door. When they entered, he was greeted with "Surprise, welcome home!" he grinned. He was excited and thrilled when he saw that he was greeted by Jack, Henry, Will, Sarah and Desiree and a big welcome home banner and balloons. Clooney was extremely excited to see his daddy, his tail wagged a mile a minute and he gleefully barked.

"Thank you everyone, it's nice to be home and I am so happy to see all of you!" he leaned over slightly and ruffled Clooney's head. "Good boy, Cloon! I missed you, too!"

When both Sarah and Desiree finally heard about their brother, they cut their vacation short. They immediately headed back home to see him and to help with his care. They each made their way over to him and one by one they softly hugged him while tears came to their eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't cry! I'm home and I will be fine in no time. I love you both and am happy to see you. You guys didn't have to cut your trip short because of me."

Sarah, still with some unshed tears in her eyes stood there with a sad smile as she scanned her brother up and down. "Welcome home little bro, I am so happy to see you. We were really worried about you. Don't you ever scare us like that again! I love you so much!"

Desiree jutted her hip and waved her finger at him. "Of course, we did big brother! There is nothing that would have kept us away. I love you, too! Besides, you know we have to be able to pick on you!" she winked at him and giggled.

"Maaaaaa, you hear that, they are going to pick on your baby boy?"

Everyone chuckled as Fran said. "Now, now girls, take it easy on your brother, at least for a few days," the whole family busted out laughing. Derek tried, but winced in pain.

Will stepped forward to welcome him home and shook his hand. "Welcome back, Morgan! Glad to see you are on the mend. I know that JJ and Henry would have been devastated. Here, let's get you over to couch." He grabbed Derek's arm as Reid took his other arm and they both guided him to the couch and helped him to sit down.

Penelope ran over with a glass of water and his pills. "Here Angelfish, take these and then we will get some food in you."

He looked up at her and nodded his head. "Thanks, baby! I guess that trip took more out of me than I thought it would." She caressed his cheek. "I know my love, I know. "

Henry stepped up in front of him. "Is you okay, Unca Dewek? I misseded you!" Derek grinned down at him and reached out to ruffle his hair. "I missed you too, kiddo! I'm good now that I am home and got to see all of you."

Henry smiled and said. "Me gwad, you is home. Can I hug you, Unca Dewek?"

"Of course, you can buddy!" Henry clapped his hands and gleefully shouted, "Yayyyy!" Will reached down and pulled his son up into his arms and placed him on the couch next to Derek.

"Easy Henry, Uncle Derek has a big owwie, okay?"

"Kayyyy, daddy," Henry leaned over, placed his arms around his neck and gently hugged Derek. Derek couldn't help, but smile. Henry leaned back and asked. "You feel better now, Unca Dewek?" Derek chuckled. "I feel much better now bud, thank you."

Henry reached for his dad and cried out. "Yayyyy! Did you hear dat Daddy? He feel better alweady."

"I heard little man, that's awesome! You did a good job," everyone looked at each other and beamed.

Jack ran over. "My turn, my turn! I missed you too, Uncle Derek!" Jack got up on the couch and gently hugged him, as well. Derek continued to smile. "I missed you too, Jackers! You guys are really helping me feel much better, thanks little dude." Jack pulled back and grinned. "When you are all better, maybe you can go to the park with us?" Derek nodded his head and replied. "Absolutely, kiddo! I would really like that."

As Jack jumped down off the couch he said. "Kewl!" He grabbed Henry's hand and they both ran over to play with Clooney.

The group all chuckled as they watched them scamper away with Clooney right on their heels. JJ smiled and remarked. "They sure do love their Uncle Derek!"

Derek proudly grinned as he slowly sat back and tried to get more comfortable. "Well, that goes ditto for their Uncle Derek, I love them too!"

Sarah and Desiree walked out of the kitchen and announced. "Dinner, will be ready in about ten minutes guys."

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Well guys, there is only one chapter left of this story. No worries, I will close out all the loose ends. I almost hate to see this end. But, alas, all good things must come to an end! Hehe! Thanks to all of you that supported me throughout my efforts. You are all great and I love you all. God bless and onnnn with the showwww….**

Everyone couldn't wait, they were all were starving after their long flight back. They all sat around and chatted while they waited. Penelope made her way back over to the couch and sat down next to her recovering hero. They smiled at each other and leaned in for a few chaste kisses.

A few minutes later dinner was ready and as the family began to head into the dining room Penelope spoke. "Handsome, I think you should stay right here and I will bring your dish here to you."

Derek shook his head while he braced himself to stand up. "No baby, I really want to sit with the whole family before I head up to bed. Pleeeassse, Baby Girl!" he begged, as he fake pouted.

Penelope chuckled. "Now, how can I resist that face? Alright my love, if that's what you want. I can never deny you anything. Just as long, as you go to bed right after we eat. Deal, Baby Boy?"

Derek smirked and winked at her. "Deal, Sweetness!"

During dinner, everybody had a blast! They reveled in the fact that the whole family was once again together happy and safe. They talked, ate, reminisced and they couldn't help, but break out into fits of laughter as Sarah, Desi and Fran regaled the whole group of some of young Derek's past antics. As they continued to tease Derek, they even managed to bring about a blush on his face a few times. Throughout the whole time, Derek and Penelope held hands and would not let go of each other.

As far as Penelope was concerned, she never wanted to let him go. She came so close to losing the love of her life not once, not twice, but three times in the last few weeks and months. She looked at her sexy fiancé and let her mind drift. It broke her heart to know that she caused him so much pain when she completely cut him off and pushed him away. She blamed herself for allowing Sam to bend her will and take away her independent thinking. She felt so used, abused, disgusted and gullible.

As Derek took a sip of his juice he glanced over at his goddess. He was in seventh heaven, he was finally going to get to marry his favorite girl. He knew the first time he saw her that he fell head over heels in love with Penelope. His biggest regret was that he hadn't told her sooner that he really and truly loved her. He would always kick himself for being so scared. He shook his head and noticed the faraway look in her beautiful eyes.

He called out to her as he tried to gain her attention. "Baby Girl, what's on that beautiful mind of yours?" he received no response. "Baby Girl?" still no response. He started waving his hand in front of her face, "Earth to Penelope, come in Penelope. "

Penelope broke free from her fugue like state. "Huh, what?"

"Where did you go, Beautiful? Are you okay?"

She shook her head, smiled and focused. "I'm fine, my love. Honest, I just got lost in my thinking. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, Sug!"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay? You want to talk about it, mama?" Derek squeezed her hand.

She caressed his cheek with her free hand. "I'm good, Sweetie! No worries, we will talk later. Right now, let's get you changed and into bed. You really need to rest and let your body heal," she placed a small chaste kiss to his lips.

He gave her his famous Derek Morgan grin. "Awww, do I have to?" she waved her finger at him. "Ohh no you don't, mister! We made a deal, remember?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, yeah I remember. Okay Sweetness, I will be good."

"Good boy! Now, say your goodnights," she knew he was putty in her capable loving hands and grinned.

After everyone hugged him and said their goodnights, he slowly and gingerly made his way upstairs to their room. Now that they were home, he loved the fact his house became their house. He couldn't wait to sleep in the same bed as his gorgeous and loving fiancée. He couldn't wait to fall asleep and wake up with her wrapped up in his arms. Dave and Spencer followed him upstairs to make sure that he wouldn't fall. Penelope headed up before him so she could turn down the bed and make sure he had everything he needed. Once he made it into the bedroom the guys helped Derek sit down on the bed and told them they would check on him tomorrow.

Dave looked at Penelope and remarked, "Good nights guys, and Kitten if you need anything at all call Fran or myself and we will be right over."

Penelope walked over, hugged him, smiled and replied, "Thank you my Italian Stallion and I promise I will. I love you all very much!" He grinned and hugged her back. "We love you both, too!"

Derek nodded as he sat there. He was exhausted and hated that he felt so helpless. It was driving him crazy that he couldn't do for himself. He hated that he was so dependent on the others right now. He couldn't wait to heal more, start his physical therapy and get back to work. He knew that when he was better he would be able to marry the love of his life.

So, there he sat, as his girl was on her knees and was removing his shoes and socks. Once she accomplished that, she stood and gently removed his shirt. She did so, as to not hurt him in anyway. Then she helped him up ever so slowly and removed his belt and pants and carefully helped him sit back down.

As they both worked to get him comfortably situated, he winced in pain. "Ohhh God Handsome, I am sooo sorry!" He grabbed her hand as he rode out the pain. "No worries, Princess! You didn't do anything wrong, honest. I am just sore."

A tear rolled down her cheek as she said, "But, I hurt you! The last thing I would do is want to cause you anymore pain then I already have." He took his thumb and gently wiped her tears away. "Woman, you didn't hurt me! What are you talking about?" She silently finished getting him comfortable and went to pull away. He immediately reached out and grasped her hand to stop her progress.

He laid there as he stared into her face and what he saw broke his heart. He softly and calmly spoke out, "Baby Girl, talk to me. What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours?"

She sat down next to him and placed her free hand on his gorgeous, but concerned face. She tried to find her words and explain to him how she was feeling. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry Hot Stuff, I just can't stand the thought of hurting you anymore. I did so much damage to you for all those months. I pushed you away while I said and did some horrible things to you. I don't know why you put up with me and I don't understand how you don't hate me. I hate me, and I wouldn't blame you if you changed your mind now that we're home and send me packing."

He winced as his anger rose as he thought about Sam and all the trouble that he caused. He squeezed her hands and gazed soulfully into her beautiful sad eyes. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You stop that nonsense right here and right now! Sweetness, none of that is or was in anyway your fault whatsoever! That was all on that son-of-a-bitch and what he did to you. Damn it, I swear if he wasn't already dead, I would kill him all over again. I don't blame you in anyway shape or form, do you hear me? I love you Penelope, now and forever! There is nothing you could do that would ever make me send you packing. You feel me, Hardhead?"

Penelope giggled as her lips formed a gorgeous smile. "I feel ya, my love! I feel ya. Are you sure, my Prince?" he grinned and shook his head. "I'm positive, silly girl! There is nothing to forgive, I promise!"

She continued to smile and softly caressed his cheek. "Always, my hero! Have I told you today how much I love you?" he chuckled. "Every day it's implied. Now, would please come down and kiss me like you mean it, woman."

She giggled again and slowly leaned in and they shared a very loving and passionate kiss. After they pulled apart she rested her forehead on his. "You feel better now, baby!" she nodded and replied. "I do, my love, I really do! I love you so much, Derek Morgan!"

He ran his hand up and down her back and smiled. "I love you too, Penelope Garcia soon-to-be Morgan! Now, let's get some sleep Hot Mama!"

She placed a soft chaste kiss to his lips and sat up. "Okay, Sug! Just give me a few minutes. I need to go and lock up, set the alarm, check on Clooney and change into my jammies." She stood up and winked at him. "I will be right back, Chocolate Drop."

Derek nodded and settled down into his pillow. "Hurry back, baby. I will be anxiously waiting for my favorite girl. I miss you already." She chuckled and mumbled as she walked out the room. "Silly man of my dreams!"

When she was finished with everything and walked back into their room in her pajamas she couldn't help, but smile. The man of her dreams, the love of her life and her future husband was peacefully asleep and there was a light snore emanating from him. She slowly and carefully got into bed, so, as not to wake him up. She gently kissed his cheek, laid her head down on his shoulder and placed her arm across his sexy-toned abs. She got comfortable and within a few minutes joined him in a well-deserved and peaceful sleep.

 **TBC**

 **PLZZZ READ AND REVIEW**

 **ONE CHAPTER LEFT**


	32. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not-Epilogue

**A/N: Well, well, well! Here we are at the ending to another one of my stories. The endings always leave me feeling bittersweet. I know I have accomplished something, but most of the time I hate to see them end. What I wish more than anything though, is that TPTB had allowed our favorite couple together and that Shemar never left the show. Ahhhh, to dream!**

 **Anywho, to all my loyal readers I will be starting another short story in about a week though! Keep your eyes open for it! It will be four chapters long and of course, will center around our favorite couple. Hehe, did you expect anything else. Thank you to all that have read, reviewed, followed and favorited my stories. You honor me with your love, your loyalty and your words. Much love and God bless!**

 **Epilogue**

 **Six Months Later**

The last several months were very busy, especially for Derek and Penelope. On one hand, Derek began his physical therapy two weeks after returning home, following his discharge from the hospital. He struggled and worked extremely hard to get his life and health back. He experienced many good days and bad days. He never gave up, he had too much to live for and look forward to. He was really looking forward to getting back to work as soon as possible and of course, their upcoming wedding to the woman of his dreams. Throughout his recuperation, Penelope and Derek continued to grow closer as a couple and adjusted to living together. Penelope never left his side, she was there through it all. She was given permission to work from home to enable that Derek would always have someone with him as he continued to heal. He felt bad that she assumed so much of the responsibility on her shoulders, but she loved being able to do things for him and with him. Their days were filled with hard work and PT for Derek, along with some psychological therapy for Penelope and taking care of the man that meant the world to her. She struggled to come to terms with the horrible treatment that she suffered under the reign of terror from Sam.

On the other hand, while all the emotional and physical healing happened the happy couple enjoyed numerous dates and nights out. They were thrilled to be living together and were having a blast. They engaged in movie nights with lots of cuddling, picnics, walks at the beach and spoiling each other with love as they built their new life together. The only thing that was missing was a sexual relationship. It took quite a bit of patience and persistence, but Penelope convinced her Noir Hero that it would be even more special if they waited to consummate their relationship until their wedding night. Derek hemmed and hawed, but eventually acquiesced to his goddess' wishes. He knew he wanted everything perfect for his future wife. He promised himself and her, that he would do anything to make his lady love happy.

When the team was home in between cases they kept busy helping in the planning of the wedding, the bachelorette and bachelor parties. With everyone pitching in with everything, they managed to pull it off and get all the plans set in place. Both parties went off without a hitch and a great time was had by all. Finally, last week Derek returned to work, albeit on limited duty. The doctors decided that once they got back from their two-week honeymoon, he would be ready and able to return to full duty.

It was now the morning of their wedding both the bride and groom were extremely excited and nervous. It was decided that all the girls, Jack and Henry would spend the night before the nuptials at Casa Rossi and the men would spend the night at Casa Morgan. Penelope was heavily superstitious and didn't want to take any chances with karma or fate. Derek hated spending the night away from her, but he understood and did as he was told.

The wedding and reception were to be held outside in the lush gardens at the Rossi's mansion. Derek was pacing in front of the beautifully decorated archway and fussing with his tie. Spencer placed his hand on Derek's shoulder which immediately caused Derek to halt his actions.

Derek looked up at his _brother_ and Spencer spoke out. "Calm down, Morgan! You are going to wear a hole in Rossi's grass with all your pacing."

Derek began to fidget again. "Huh, what? Ohh sorry, kid. I can't help it, what if she has changed her mind? What if she doesn't come down that aisle? I betcha she chang—"

Spencer, Hotch and Dave burst out in laughter. They couldn't help themselves, they never saw their friend this nervous before.

Dave stepped over in front of his stepson and remarked, "You need to stop worrying so much, son. She would never change her mind. She loves you with all of her heart!"

"Yeah man, but—"

"No buts, Morgan! She is right inside and waiting for me to come and get her. Now, if you don't stop pacing, I will charge you to fix my yard. Nerves are perfectly normal. Here, let me fix your tie and then I am going to get our girl."

Derek grinned and stopped fidgeting. He couldn't wait to see his gorgeous goddess walking down the aisle to him. "Thanks, old man, I guess I am more nervous than I realized." He looked around at all three of them and felt nothing, but love and gratitude. "Thanks guys, I appreciate and love you all. You guys have always been there for both of us and it means everything."

The three of them all nodded and reiterated the same sentiments. Dave finished with Derek's tie and placed his hands on both of Derek's shoulders. "There you go, my son! Now, off I go to get Kitten." Before he took his leave, he took Derek's face in his hands and gave him a kiss on both cheeks. He chuckled and began to walk away. As he did so, Derek exclaimed, "Tell her I love her!"

The girls and Fran were just finishing the last-minute touches to Penelope's hair and makeup, when there was a knock on the door. Desiree walked over and opened the door to reveal her stepdad. As he walked in, he placed a quick peck to her cheek.

"Well, well ladies, don't we all look beautiful!" his eyes caught a glimpse of Penelope. "Ohhh, Kitten you look fabulous! Derek isn't going to be able to take his eyes off you."

Penelope grinned and twirled around. "Why thank you, my Italian Stallion! How is my Chocolate God doing? Is it time?" he chuckled. "He is sooo nervous, he is babbling." The whole room busted out with a chorus of giggles trying to picture their usually big bad calm 'Derek Morgan' babbling and nervous. "How are you holding up? And yes, it's time. Are you ready?"

She sighed happily and giggled. "Awww! My poor Angelfish! I am a bundle of nerves myself, but I was born ready. I have been waiting years for this moment!"

The girls and Fran all gave her huge hugs and told her they would see her outside. They left the room with the two co-ringbearers Jack and Henry in tow. Who, by the way, looked absolutely adorable in their tuxes. Dave held his arm out and she immediately hooked her arm through his. "Shall we, Kitten?" she smiled and nodded her head. "We shall, Dad." Which immediately brought a few tears to her Italian Stallion's deep brown eyes at the thought of his 'daughters' marriage.

After everyone made their way up the aisle, the wedding march started. Penelope and Dave stepped onto the white runner and they both smiled. Penelope took a deep breath and slowly made her way to her sexy prince. Derek stood there and couldn't take his eyes off his goddess. He was blown away, she was perfectly stunning and she took his breath away. His nerves started to calm down as he watched his breathtaking bride heading towards him. The gown she wore was perfect as it hugged her and showed off her curves exquisitely! He couldn't believe how lucky he was, all his dreams were coming true. He never thought this day would ever come, but here he was getting ready to marry the most beautiful woman in the world. He mouthed the words "I love you" to his bride and she did the same. They finally made it to the end of aisle and after placing her hand in Derek's, Dave kissed his _daughter_ on thecheek and told them both that he loved them.

The minister began and Penelope heard the words she dreamed about all her life. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Penelope Garcia and Derek Morgan in the holy bonds of matrimony. Penelope and Derek have been best friends for years. Their bond grew to love, but just not any love, it grew to true love. They have weathered many storms, but they have come through each and every one of them stronger and better people. They have proven they are true and forever soulmates. May God bless them with much love, joy and happiness."

The minister looked over at Rossi and asked, "Who gives this woman to this man?" Dave stood up, smiled and replied. "I do, Father."

The minister then looked down at Jack and Henry and asked them for the rings. They both grinned as they made their way towards the him. He leaned over and took the rings and placed them on his bible and winked at both boys. They giggled and headed back over to stand next to their dads. Everyone beamed with pride at both boys and their flawless performance as co-ringbearers. The minister then gave a blessing over the rings.

He looked at the happy couple and asked, "I understand that you both have written your own vows, is that correct?" they looked at each other, smiled and then turned back to the minister and answered in unison. "Yes, sir."

He handed Derek his bride's ring and said. "Please slide the ring on her finger and recite your vows."

Derek reached for the ring and nervously slid it onto her finger. He took a deep breath, stared into her loving blue eyes and prepared to speak his vows. "Woman, you are the most amazing and beautiful woman I have ever met or known. You are my Baby Girl, my Goddess, my best friend, my God-given solace and today you become my wife. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I will show you each and every day how much you truly mean to me! I can't wait to have many, many babies with you. You will always be my guiding light at the end of my very long dark tunnel with all that we see and experience every day. I vow to you in front of our family and friends, that I will _alway_ s be here for you, protect you and love you for all the days of our lives. I love you, Penelope Calliope Garcia."

They smiled at each other and squeezed hands as the tears of happiness flowed down her face like a cascading waterfall. She was pulled out of her utopian state when the minister spoke out, "Penelope, please take this ring and slide it onto his finger and recite your vows to him."

She nodded her head, reached for the ring and shakily placed it onto her soulmate's finger and readied to speak. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath as Derek wiped some of her tears away gently with his thumb and he smiled at her.

Her voice initially cracked as she spoke. "Derek, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You have the _biggest_ heart of _anyone_ I have ever known and you complete me in ways I never knew existed. You are my Hot Stuff, my sculpted Chocolate God, my Noir Hero, my best friend and today you become my husband. You have always been there for me no matter _what_ , you have such a forgiving heart. You are my safe-haven and I trust you like I trust no other! I have loved you from the time when you called me the wrong name," everyone chuckled. "I can't wait to grow old with you and watch as our family grows. I vow to you in front of our family and friends that I will always love you and I will _never ever_ hurt you. I love you forever, Derek Michael Morgan."

They squeezed hands again, as they continued to gaze into each other's eyes and smiled at each other. The minister spoke up and stated. "If there is anyone present that can show just cause why these two can't be lawfully joined, please speak now or forever hold your peace."

After a moment of silence, the minister smiled and proclaimed. "By the powers vested in me by the state of Virginia and in the eyes of God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder." He grinned at the happy couple and said, "Derek, you may now kiss your bride."

Still not taking his eyes off his beautiful bride, he grinned, raised her veil and cupped her face in his hands. He slowly leaned in and placed the most loving and perfect kiss to his new bride. When they pulled apart they continued to stare into each other's eyes. They were so entranced in the moment, that their dreams finally had come true.

"I love you, Mrs. Morgan!"

She grinned, "I love you too, Mr. Morgan!"

They both came together again for another glorious and loving kiss. They reluctantly pulled apart when the minister announced. "It gives me great pleasure to introduce you for the first time to, Mr. and Mrs. Derek Morgan." The whole yard erupted into applause, whistling and shouts of congratulations. Hugs were shared all the way around.

As the rest of the day and evening went on everyone enjoyed themselves at the reception that followed. There was much happiness, dancing, laughing, eating, and toasting to the newlyweds. The happy couple danced their first dance as husband and wife to "I Found You®" by Bebe Winans. Throughout the evening, when they weren't in each other's arms, Derek danced with his mom, and all four of his _sisters_. Penelope shared dances with Dave, Spencer, Hotch as well as, her two godson's Jack and Henry. The newly married couple cut their cake as everyone looked on and wondered how they were going to handle that. Their suspense was answered when the bride and groomed gently fed each other and received a tent full of "Awww's" and much applause.

As the evening festivities neared the end, Penelope tossed her bouquet which landed in the hands of a very excited Desiree. When Derek threw the garter, a super anxious Spencer caught it. After he caught it, he couldn't help, but to shyly smile and blush at Morgan's beautiful younger sister.

It was now time for the newlyweds to depart. Everybody said their goodbyes and chased the extremely happy couple with bubbles to their awaiting limousine. They were whisked away to Rossi's private jet which would be taking them to their honeymoon destination of Hawaii. They would be spending two glorious weeks at Dave's private oceanside villa.

 **Nine Months Later**

Derek and Penelope were blessed with a magical time during their honeymoon. They amazed each other as they consummated their marriage over and over. Derek admitted to himself and Penelope, that she was right. Their very first time was amazing, special, totally perfect and definitely worth waiting for. It truly was the first time they made love with someone instead of just sharing sex with another person. The whole trip was completely phenomenal and enchanting and they never wanted it to end.

Upon their return home, they settled nicely into married life. Derek went back full duty to work and everybody was thrilled to be back together as a whole team. Approximately six weeks after their honeymoon ended, there was a huge exciting announcement made by the newly married couple. Penelope started experiencing bouts of nausea, vomiting and headaches. After much prodding from her new husband, she finally broke down and headed off to the doctor. After a few tests, they found out they were expecting their first child. The entire family was thrilled beyond belief! Especially, the expectant parents and of course Fran. She was over the moon her, biggest wish was coming true. She was finally going to get her first grandchild from her Baby Boy.

Penelope and Derek were in her hospital room looking down at the newest member of their clan. Her water broke hours earlier and Derek quickly rushed her to the hospital. Penelope remained in labor for thirteen hours and twenty-seven minutes. At the end though, they were blessed with the greatest gift of all, a beautiful baby boy. He weighed in at six pounds, three ounces and was nineteen inches long. He was born with lots of soft curly light brown hair, his skin was a few shades lighter than his daddy, blue eyes like his mommy and most definitely the perfect mixture of both of his parents.

Penelope and Derek couldn't help, but to continue to stare down into the beautiful handsome and peaceful face of their little miracle. They knew that they had so much to be grateful for. They could've lost everything because of the cruelty of both Savannah and Sam. Their reign of terror was finally over. With Sam dead, Savannah was the only one who'd stood trial. She was charged with several counts of attempted murder, assault and conspiracy. This resulted in the guilty verdict at her trial which finished just before the birth of Hank. They were all overjoyed and ecstatic with the sentence she received which was life in prison with no possibility of parole. They could all breathe easier and knew they would be safe from any harm from her, forever.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Both parents looked up and called out, "Come in." the team, Fran, Will, Jack and Henry walked in and quickly made their way over to Penelope's bedside. All they heard was "Oooohs, Awwww's and Congratulations!" everyone was chattering all at once and were completely ecstatic.

Fran was the first one to speak up. "Awww, my grandson is just beautiful, you two! Just look at him, he looks like both of you. "

Both parents grinned happily. "Thanks, Momma! We done good, huh?" The whole group chuckled.

Penelope looked up at her mother-in-law and asked. "Would you like to hold your grandson?"

Fran giggled and immediately reached out for her first grandbaby. "Of course, I would! Come to Nana, baby boy!" she brought him into her arms, leaned over and kissed his little forehead. "You are so handsome, little one! Yes, you are! I am going to spoil you rotten."

Dave shook his head and chuckled. "Of course, you are Bella! There was never any doubt about that. He is beautiful, you guys. How are you feeling, Kitten?"

Penelope laid her head down on her sexy husband's shoulder and yawned. "I'm great Papa Bear! I'm exhausted, a little sore, but oh so blessed and excited."

While Henry was being held by his daddy Will, he blurted out, "He is so widdle, Aunt P! What he cawled?"

The new parents glanced at each other as everyone chuckled at Henry's cuteness. Penelope nodded her head at her prince to give him the go ahead. He gave her a huge Derek Morgan grin and placed a quick and sweet kiss to the tip of her nose.

He looked around at his ever so patient family and continued to grin with complete pride and a heart overflowing with love and happiness.

"Everyone, we would like you to meet the newest member of the family, Master Hank Spencer Morgan. We named him after two great men. My Pops and the best little brother anyone could ask for."

Spencer blushed as one lone tear fell down his cheek. "Really? I am so honored, thank you! I love you both and you know I am going to spoil my namesake silly, right?"

Derek stood up and brought Spencer into a huge hug, which he without reservation returned right back. "We love you too, Bro! And, we never had any doubts Pretty Boy."

Fran walked over to Spencer and gently placed baby Hank into his godfather's loving arms. He brought his lips down to Hank and kissed his cheek. Now, he had two special and handsome godsons to love on.

The next couple of hours flew by as everyone got their chance to hold the newest member of their clan. Even Jack and Henry got to hold Hank for a couple of minutes. The whole family laughed, showed their love and fawned all over the baby. JJ was asked to be Hank's godmother and excitedly accepted.

Penelope was exhausted, she finally relented and allowed herself to fall asleep on Derek's chest as he held her ever so tight. He looked around the room and knew he was the luckiest man alive. He had a great family, a great job, a new baby son and the best wife he could ever want or need. He knew that he almost lost everything at one point. He barely managed to escape death by the grace of god and he experienced his wife's and best friend's loss of love, miraculously gained it back and would have her love, forever.

Derek brought her even closer to him as he increased his hold around her. He looked down at her beautiful peaceful face and grinned as the love, gratitude and happiness exuded from and engulfed him. He brought his lips down to hers and placed several soft chaste kisses on her forehead as she slept.

"Thank you, Sweetness, for making me a daddy and for loving me. I will always be here for you and Hank. I promise you, you will both be loved and safe. I love you now and forever, Baby Girl!"

 **The End**

" **Our most beautiful dreams are born from our most unpleasant nightmares."** **  
** **By: Matshona Dhliwayo**


End file.
